Ronin Toad
by Red Witch
Summary: An X-Men Evo/GI Joe Crossover. Completed fic! Abandoned by Magneto, Toad is rescued by unlikely saviors. So what happens when Toad ends up living with the GI Joe team? A little bit of everything! R&R to find out!
1. The Abandoned

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_Ronin Toad_

The Abandoned

"NOOOOO! DON"T LEAVE MEEEEEEEE!"

Those were the last words out of Toad's mouth before Magneto brutally flung him out of the jet. The next thing he knew, his body was being thwacked by branches in the path of his fall. Instinctively, his tongue reached out to grab onto a stray branch in order to stop his fall, but all it did was slow it down barely giving him time to cling from tree to tree until he could hold on no longer. He fell into an unexpected pool of water with a plop! 

Toad barely managed to get to the riverbank just in time to see the jet, now a tiny black dot disappear completely. "I can't believe they did that!" he spat out along with the stagnant water. He had been abandoned. Again.

With a groan he crawled out of the water, recalling the all too recent events that led him to this situation. "Why did they do this to me?" He moaned closing his eyes in pain. "Wasn't my fault Magneto's stupid plan didn't work."

Sure he had trouble during the battle. Okay so he wasn't as good a fighter as the rest, but he tried! He tried harder than usual, but no, once again the X-men beat the proverbial stuffing out of him. But it wasn't as if he was the only one. The others got beat too. But he got the blame. As usual. Sure he was used to it. Hey something went wrong, blame Toad. Loose the battle. Blame Toad. If the plan failed, blame Toad. If you were having a bad hair day, blame Toad. Because he was the youngest and weakest, his primary contribution to the team was taking abuse and blame when things went wrong. 

This time was different.

He relived the past few moments again. Magneto ranting and raving, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he turned on Toad, who hadn't even said anything to deserve such attention. He would never forget how cold and cruel his eyes looked and how his words split into him like daggers. "A chain," He rumbled " No matter what it is forged of is only as good as its weakest link. And by the looks of you, Toad we are a pathetic chain. You, quivering, useless coward!"

The rest of the Brotherhood quickly parted away from Magneto's wrath, leaving Toad alone to bear the brunt of it. It was bad enough being yelled at, but no, Magneto said an example had to be made. That was when Mystique started beating him. 

He had had beatings before. His Father, foster parents, bullies, jocks, even Mystique had cruelly hit him with unnecessary force. But this was far more brutal than he ever expected. Terrified, all he could do was cower there, trying as best he could to shield himself from the blows. He couldn't even fight back. All he could do was whimper, plead and take the abuse. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Magneto stopped the physical torment. "Useless, " He snarled. "Utterly useless. Mystique what were you thinking when you allowed this…weakling into the Brotherhood?"

"He was all I could find at the time!" She shot back. "Before the others, remember? It's not my fault the idiot can't do the simplest tasks!"

"In the future Mystique you will find me more useful mutants," Magneto warned.

"That won't be too difficult," She snarled, kicking him in the ribs for good measure. Toad whimpered and coughed up blood mixed with slime. "Hard to imagine any other mutant as useless as this one!"

That was even worse than the beating. Heck, he had been beaten up nearly every day of his life to some degree since he was six. He was used to the pounding. But the cruelty of the words, no matter how many times in his life he had heard them before, still cut into him like razor blades. "I'm sorry," Toad whimpered, tears beginning to trickle from his eyes.

He looked up with pleading eyes at the other members of the Brotherhood. Lance looked away from him in contempt. " Wimp," He growled. Pietro stood there stone-faced. Freddy looked…scared.

"Weak," Magneto pronounced it as if it was a sentence of death. "The weak are useless. Therefore…" He raised his hand and to his horror Toad saw the jet's hatch open.

"No, No!" Toad begged on his knees. "Please! I'll do better. Really I will! You'll see! Please!"

"What I see is a worthless cretin who'd better not show his miserable ugly face around Bayville again if he knows what's good for him!" Mystique snarled. "Provided of course you survive."

"No, please don't leave me alone out there!" Toad cried out. "Guys, help me!" But none of the Brotherhood said a word. They were either too disgusted with him or too frightened to help him. Perhaps a bit of both. Toad tried one final appeal, tears openly streaming down his face. "Please! I'll die out there! Please!"

"Perhaps it's best for all Mutantkind if you do!" Magneto said, before flinging his helpless body out the hatch.

And that was that. Now here he was, alone in an unknown swamp. Every muscle in his body was sore and bruised. His ribs felt like they were on fire. His right leg felt injured if not broken. But he was alive. That was something to be thankful for. 

Toad managed to get to his knees. Anger and shame rose inside him, mixing with the pain. "Well," he sniffed "Who needs you jerks anyway! I didn't wanna be a part of your stupid damn Brotherhood anyway! You hear that!" His voice rose to a scream. "Good Riddance! I can do fine all by myself! Hear that!? All by myself!"

He sat down, sobbing. "All alone..Forever…. Well who cares! I don't need anybody. No. Nobody. I'll be just fine on my own. I can take care of myself. Who wants to go back to Loserville anyway? Not me. No way. I'm not going to cry anymore. I'm going to pull myself together. And find a way out of here, and away from Bayville. "

He fought back the tears as he examined himself. His uniform was badly torn and covered with blood and grime. He tore off part of his right pants leg and made a makeshift bandage. He tried to console himself, but it was no use. For all his outside bravado, he was terrified. The Brotherhood had been his final chance at acceptance. A last resort to find a place where he belonged. Unlike the Professor's X-Freaks at least the Brotherhood had a realistic view of humanity. Toad knew all too well from experience that humans would never except them. They couldn't even stop fighting among each other, let alone another species. So what was the point in trying to get along with them?

He briefly examined himself again. Pieces of bruised skin appeared like patches in is tattered uniform. He felt uncomfortable at the thought of being exposed in any way, but hey, there was no one around to see him. He was covered with dirt and blood. "Well, I never was the cleanest person anyway", He sighed. Trying to figure out just what do now. 

"Well," He spoke aloud. " I can't go back to Bayville, I certainly can't go to the X-Freaks. Even if they took me in, they couldn't hide me from Mystique forever." With a sigh he looked around his surroundings. The view of mud and dark vegetation did nothing to cheer him up.

"I guess this is…home. Perfect. A Swamp for a Toad. How fitting," He mocked himself. "Somewhere in this world there is someone with a very sick sense of irony. I can see it now, Next on Ripley's believe it or not…the mysterious Toad-boy. Fact or fiction? I'm gonna be running from Mulder and Scully wannabes for the rest of my life. Ow!"

Toad flinched in pain. "At least I'm still alive. Barely." He forced himself to stand up and hobbled deeped into the swamp. "Well, at least things can't get any worse for me today."

Right on cue, there was a rumble of thunder. Then a torrential downpour. Toad made a face. "Perfect. Just perfect. Nice touch!" He screamed at the sky as he slowly moved forward. "I'm alone, hurt, cold, wet, exhausted, hungry. Jeeze. Aren't there at least any mosquitoes in this swamp?" Toad's stomach rumbled. He let out an exhausted sigh. " If I can just find a dry place to hide and rest so I don't catch pneumonia and die…Just a place to sleep for a little while. That's all I need. Aggh!" He collapsed to his knees in pain. "Aw man, I'm gonna die."

He shuddered violently, trying to hold back more tears. The pain was stronger now, and he felt weaker. If he didn't find shelter soon…

His attention was caught by an unexpected snap of a twig. Startled, he turned around as quickly as he could. He could make out silhouettes of figures in the trees behind him several feet away. They were quite a few of them walking towards him. He could not see their faces, but he could count them. At least seven of them. And they were all carrying guns. Very big guns.

A sound came from Toad's throat. It was a primal scream of pure terror. A surge of adrenaline gave him the strength that only an animal in panic could know. He forced his body to its limit, ignoring the pain tearing at him from the inside. Each hop was pure agony. His mind raced. _Mutant Hunters! Or maybe hunters period! Either way they have guns! Big guns! Not good! Not good! Not good! Did Magneto know? Did he leave me here to die? To let them finish me off? Or is this just some part of some curse I have? I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I gotta get away! _

Normally with his enhanced strength and speed, Toad would have been able to easily shake his pursuers, especially since he was running, or more accurately hopping on all fours. But he was injured, exhausted. They were running after him. And they were gaining on him, yelling something but he couldn't make out what. He didn't want to know. 

Even strength and stamina born from self-preservation can only last so long. Toad felt himself weakening with every hop. The distance between him and his pursuers was quickly growing smaller and smaller. Try as he might, he couldn't force his body to run anymore. His legs hurt too much. He could barely breathe. The rain practically blinded him. Finally his body gave out mid hop. He fell face first in the mud. He couldn't get up try as he might, but he was far too weak. "I…can't," he moaned, tears streaming down his face. He collapsed. This was it. The End with a capital E. He couldn't do anything anymore. He cowered, trembling, shielding his face with his arms. He had no will to run or fight anymore. What was the point? Magneto was right. He was a worthless mutant. He was too weak to fight back. He deserved to die. He shut his eyes to the world and sobbed heavily, waiting for the end to come.

He lay there in the filth for what seemed like an eternity. His thin body pounded by the heavy rain. He could sense they had caught up to him and were now standing around him. _Why don't they just get it over with?_ He thought. _Maybe they want to torture me first. Please, please just let it end!_ He waited for his body to be riddled with bullets.

But it didn't happen. What he felt next was not a barrage of gunfire piercing his body or a sharp knife cutting his throat. It was the most unexpected thing in his entire life. It was a hand gently touching his shoulder and gingerly squeezing it. 

Toad opened his eyes, red with tears and looked into the face of a huge, muscular bald black man with a moustache and a goatee. It wasn't a cruel face at all, but kind and worried. "Hey kid," He asked in a deep voice. "Are you okay?"

Instinctively, Toad flinched in fear. Wildly he looked behind him. The other men behind him were huge as well. They looked like redneck hunters but he could tell that they were soldiers. But they didn't look like they were going to shoot him. They actually looked worried. About what? 

The man gently reassured him. "Easy, Easy. We're not going to hurt you. We just wanna help. Who are you? What happened? Who did this to you?"

Toad still couldn't speak. He was still too hurt, confused and afraid. He kept crying and shaking. Were they actually talking to him?

The man tried again. "Listen, you don't have to be afraid of us. It doesn't matter that you're a mutant. We aren't going to hurt you. We just want to help. You're safe now. Okay?"

"It looks like he's in shock," one of the others said.

"It's okay," the man gently took the boy in his arms. "It's okay." Toad kept sobbing, too afraid to do anything else. He went limp. The man began to rock him back and forth, stroking his hair, as if soothing an infant. Toad stopped whimpering, allowing the tears to silently fall down his face. The man gave some orders to the others, but Toad didn't hear them. He was too wrapped up in fear to notice anything else. He felt himself being effortlessly lifted by the powerful arms holding him, being carried like a small child through the swamp. The last thing he registered before losing consciousness was the man's voice telling him not to be afraid, that everything would be all right. Toad felt strangely calm. Almost safe. He saw the swamp around him as a green blur, taking in the scent of the man's aftershave. He closed his eyes and allowed the blackness to claim him.

What came next was what Toad would always refer to as The Blur, because that was all he could remember. He could never recall specifics during that time. It wasn't lineal. Just random sensations. The rain on his face. Strange voices talking over him. A feeling of being exposed. Lying in a warm pool of water. The sensation of cloth over his skin. A hand holding his. The smell of his own natural scent, plus other unfamiliar ones flowed in and out through his nostrils. The feeling that he was flying. Being warm. Being cold. Lying on something very soft then very hard. Or was it very hard then very soft? Dozens of other half forgotten memories that went in and out during the blackness.

He did not dream during this time. It was if his brain had purposely shut down that department. All he could sense was darkness. There was no pain. Just a bland numbness dominated his body.

Then he was back. That was the best way to describe it. He simply opened his eyes and found himself in a strange room. His brain felt fuzzy and his body felt stiff and sore. All he could see was a ceiling. Wait a minute, wasn't he just outside? And now he was dry when he had been soaked with rain. It didn't make sense. He closed his eyes and moaned, turning his head slightly. Rather obvious thoughts hit him. _I'm inside, not outside. I'm dry, not wet. I'm warm, not cold. This pillow is nice. Wait, I feel blankets too. I'm in a bed. Something's attached to my arm._ He looked again. The room was slightly dark but he could see a small tube in his arm hooked up to an IV unit. _Hospital. I'm in a hospital of some sort. But where? How did I get here? Where's my uniform?_

He looked at himself. He was wearing a white hospital gown, various small bandages on his arms and right leg and nothing else. His cheeks flushed for a second. _Someone took my clothes. Some one...saw me! Well, duh Todd, how else were they going to fix you up? Stop being such a spaz!_

As he tried to shake the cobwebs from his head the door opened. He saw the nurse on duty turn up the light in the room. She was tall with dazzling blonde hair. She smiled at him. "Finally awake huh?"

Toad blinked. Was she talking to him? She was so beautiful. _Of course she's talking to you idiot!_ His brain screamed at him. _And don't start drooling over her! She's gotta be at least in her late twenties so let's put a stop to any teenage hormone fantasies right now! You are not, not now, not ever in her league! So forget it! _Great, now his own mind was telling him how unworthy he was. Terrific.

She walked over to his bed. " How are you feeling? Would you like some water?"

Suddenly Toad's throat felt very dry. He nodded. She poured him a glass from a pitcher on a stand next to his bed. Gratefully he took it. The water felt good going down his throat. "Thanks," He replied when he finished, his voice sounding very small.

She smiled again. Toad turned his head a little, feeling a little warm. He caught his reflection in a mirror positioned across from his bed. There was a bandage on his head too. Both of his eyes looked black and sunken. He was heavily bruised all over. He had had beatings before, some of them equally damaging. But each time it was a shock to him. Oh well, it wasn't as if he was handsome or anything.

The nurse caught his expression. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "You were very lucky," She told him. " You were badly injured. Not to mention a fever. You almost died. If the patrol hadn't found you when they did…"

"Yeah," Toad sighed. "I can imagine. Wait a minute, patrol? The people who found me, were army guys?"

"Yes, you're in the base hospital. Don't be afraid!" She responded to his look of fear. "We're not going to hurt you or run experiments on you or anything like that! We're not exactly regular army. We do things differently here. Besides even if we did do things like that we would have done it when you were brought in here a week ago."

"A week? I was out that long? Was I in a coma or something?"

"No. Not really. Your mind was just taking a little time out that's all. Your body was so badly hurt and you were in shock. You needed time to regroup. That's all."

"Wait a minute I don't get it. You army guys helped me, a mutant just because I was hurt and for no other reason? That doesn't make sense! Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you helped me but…doesn't the army…I mean…" He was completely confused.

"You mean isn't the army more likely to hunt mutants rather than help them? I suppose that's probably true of a lot of units, but not this one. We're…special. Hunting mutants isn't exactly our top priority in this outfit. I hate to squash your ego, but there are much more immediate threats to the world than mutants. Besides this base has a lot more freedom than more traditional military bases. Because of the work we do. It's a long story."

"Must be," He held his head in his hands. This went against everything he ever knew. Everything he had been taught. It had to be some kind of trick. Had to be. 

"Look," she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. " We're not going to hurt you. That's one thing you have to believe. We are the good guys. Okay?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. 

"Look, we aren't like those people who hurt you! You have to believe me! Who did hurt you anyway?"

Toad looked away. "You can tell me. Was it mutant haters? Soldiers?" Her voice softened. "Was it the X-men?"

"No, it…" His eyes froze. "How do you know about them?"

She sighed. "A while back we…borrowed a few files from some sources. We learned about Xavier and his school. And Magneto. Let's just say that there was another group interested in the Brotherhood as well. They still are. They want to use mutants to further their own ambitions. We're trying to stop them from doing that. Our team wants to save the world for everyone, including mutants. "

Toad sat there in disbelief. "Todd," She asked gently "It wasn't mutant haters who did this to you was it? And it wasn't the X-men. It was the Brotherhood wasn't it?"

Toad tried to choke back the tears streaming down his face. "Yeah. I got kicked out, literally."

"Why? Why would they do that to you?"

He couldn't hold it in any more. "Because I'm weak!" He screamed. "I'm useless! That's why! And he's right! I can't fight as well as the others. I'm not as strong as they are. All I can do is hop around and slime things. Big whoop! Oh yeah and I've got a tongue that can catch flies! Wonderful!" He snapped it for effect. If she was startled, she didn't show it. She did look concerned.

"Todd," She said. He ignored her. He really didn't care how she knew his name. He didn't want to care about anything anymore. But he couldn't stop how he felt. All the pain, anger, and shame was raging inside him. "Todd, don't say that."

"Why not? It's true!" He was sobbing heavily now. "I'm a failure as a mutant! A loser. I'm a pathetic, ugly freak!" He threw his pillow at the mirror then curled up into a ball, hiding his face. " I can't even go back to Bayville. I'll never fit in with those X-jerks and even if they did take me in, Magneto and Mystique won't let them keep me! They'll kill me. I should have died out there, but I don't wanna die. But I don't have anywhere to go! Nowhere…"

He cried so hard that his sides ached. He felt the nurse gently take him in her arms and hold him. She tried to comfort him but he could feel nothing but self-pity and self-loathing. _Why did these people help me? How can she even stand to be near to me? _He asked himself, cursing his mutated sweat glands. Why couldn't have he had a normal, useful mutation? If he had to be like an animal, why couldn't have it been a cat, or wolf, or a bird or something? Not a disgusting toad.

He wanted to pull away from her but he couldn't. He was so ashamed of himself. What was wrong with him? Shouldn't he have some dignity? Some pride? He couldn't even keep himself together in front of a stranger. Now to top off his humiliation he was acting like a little baby. He had tried so hard to be tough and strong about this. But he wasn't. He couldn't stop acting like this. He _wanted_ to be held like this. Some depraved, affection starved part of him craved it. He hadn't been cared for like this since he was a toddler. 

Now he truly had nothing. But he didn't care. All he wanted was just to be held like this. To forget the pain and the terror that dominated his life. To simply be safe and loved. That was all he had ever wanted. Was that so much to ask, even for him?

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To be continued! Who are the mysterious soldiers who rescued Toad? What will happen to our favorite frog-boy? Is the author insane? Well, yes to this last question! Be prepared for a surprise crossover! 

**By the way, all the characters are owned by Marvel. Even the ones I haven't named yet! **


	2. The Pit of Light and Darkness

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Well, here it is chapter 2! The crossover revealed! Don't say I didn't warn you!

The Pit of Light and Darkness

General Hawk pushed the papers away from him with an annoying huff. _If only I could take a blowtorch to these files._ He thought. _Or make paper airplanes out of them and use them for target practice. I could always say they were stolen by Cobra agents or something. It's not as if it was the first time I'd inconveniently "lost" papers. No, not even the pentagon would believe that Cobra would steal requisition orders for toilet paper._

Hawk sighed and stood up. He needed a brief stretch so he walked to the window of his office and looked out onto the base. His thoughts wandered as he stared absently out the window. _Sure I'm the commander of the greatest unit in the world. I have gotten away with a lot of things, such as my men accidentally blowing up an entire movie studio, blowing up a couple of cities here and there, "borrowing" alien technology and not telling anyone about it, not to mention a few other embarrassing incidents. But misplace one stupid paper for supplies and the brass will have me doing k.p. in Leavenworth for 20 years._

Okay, so G.I. Joe was not exactly the most orthodox unit in the army. But considering it had saved the world from being destroyed or conquered by Cobra more times than the current President of the U.S. made mistakes in his grammar, the top brass was more than willing to look the other way. Well, that and a few interesting documents the general had in his possession on certain very prominent politicians._ Ninjas can be very handy people to have around sometimes._ Hawk smiled to himself.

In other words, the Joes had a lot more autonomy and freedom than the average military base. As long as the Joes did their jobs and didn't involve anyone important in uncovering scandals, the government didn't care if they pranced around in pink tutus. 

_Speaking of which…_His eyes strayed to a group of soldiers dressed in Shakespearean costumes. _How Airtight convinced me to allow him to form a theater troupe on base is beyond me._ He sighed again over one of his men's more peculiar hobbies. He recognized a few other Joes in the troupe, all wearing tights. _Dusty…Cross-Country…Grunt…Clutch? Why in the world would those guys ever agree to do this?_ The answer came around the corner in the forms of Cover Girl and Jinx in beautiful dresses. _Aha, I see. Ask a stupid question._

Hawk rubbed his eyes. His mind returned to the problem at hand. A problem that had troubled him so much he even resorted to paperwork to get his mind off of it. A week ago, Roadblock was on patrol with his unit and discovered a mutant, badly injured. BeachHead of course wanted to notify the Pentagon immediately so they could ship him off to some government research facility to study it. Mutants were rare and the government wanted to do as much as possible to study them. However, Hawk didn't think it was right just to patch some poor mutant up only to have him taken apart by the mental cases that ran that part of government research. Especially after he saw the boy. He couldn't do it. Even after BeachHead ran a check on him. He still couldn't do it. Any idiot could tell after reading the kid's file and looking at him that the kid was as dangerous as a beanie baby. He ordered that the boy be kept top secret for now. Well, at least a secret outside the Pit. National Security was one thing, but gossip was another. He knew at least not one of his men would blab to the press or outsiders or anything like that and they certainly wouldn't inform the Pentagon! But each other…that was different.

_Maybe I should call Xavier. Have him pick up the kid. Mutants really aren't our business._ He frowned. He should have done it, but for some reason that gut feeling of his kicked in and told him not to. And that gut feeling he had had never been wrong.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Hawk said, turning around to see Lifeline. He smiled. He had always liked Lifeline. The pacifist medic was now the head of the Joe medical unit now that Doc was gone. There was something about him that made people confide their darkest secrets to him without him even asking. He was that type of guy. He also tended to be the voice of reason and restraint. Especially when Hawk wanted to simply go out and blow up everyone at headquarters whenever some stupid decision was made, which was fairly often.

"General, good news. Our patient is finally awake. He's going to pull through," Lifeline informed him.

"Well," Hawk sighed. "That is good news. He'll be fine then?"

"Physically yes."

"Uh oh," Hawk frowned, sitting down. "I hate it when people use that expression. Okay, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst case scenario, how bad is he mentally?"

"Forty-Two."

"Oh…goody."

Lifeline shook his head and sat down. "He's in bad shape, General. He's completely destroyed emotionally."

"What happened to him?"

"The Brotherhood. They did this to his because he wasn't strong enough for them."

"So they beat him and left him to rot in that swamp?" The bile rose in Hawk's throat when Lifeline nodded. 

He wasn't the only one outraged. Hawk noticed a hard glint in Lifeline's eyes he had never seen before. "Animals," Lifeline nearly spat out the words. " They treated him like less than nothing and then they do this…he's only fifteen. Just a kid. I know I am a pacifist, but after what I saw, I am more than tempted to seriously hurt those maniacs." He pounded the desk with a clenched fist, surprising Hawk.

Hawk lifted an amused eyebrow. "Lifeline, I never thought I would say this, but you should really control your temper. You're supposed to keep me from going berserk, remember?"

"Sorry general."

"Don't be. It's kind of reassuring to see you lose your temper once in a while." 

"I guess it proves I'm only human."

"Speaking of which, is the boy…umm."

"Violent? No not unless you count pillow abuse," Lifeline sighed again. "He's completely withdrawn now. Doesn't eat. Hardly speaks. He's totally lost."

"Well, maybe it is time I had a chat with Prof. Xavier," Hawk reached for the phone. Lifeline stopped him. "What?" He asked dreading the gut feeling he was getting.

"The Brotherhood threatened his life. He can't go back to Bayville. Xavier could help, but he can't keep him inside the mansion forever. Plus you know who is the real principal at the school."

"Mystique," Hawk groaned again. "You would think that a man concerned with the safety of his students would be a little more careful about who his students come into contact with. Especially if it's the principal."

"So what do we do?"

"I'll have to think about that. We'll call a meeting for the staff tomorrow night. I want you and Roadblock in on it too. He found the kid. Maybe he can help find a solution. Meanwhile," He sighed looking forlornly at the desk. "If you'll excuse me I have a battle with some requisition forms I have to win."

Bree the G.I Joe Nurse lingered by the door of the boy's room for the third tome that hour. The boy had finally quieted down again. Ever since he had woken up that morning, he had done nothing but lie curled up in a ball, only occasionally having bursts of crying fits. 

Ever since she had married Lifeline and joined the Joes as a nurse, she had expected hardships. She had cared for the wounded and the dying and had witnessed a few of her new friends dead before her. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when Roadblock brought in the boy. Her heart ached for the lost mutant. BeachHead had called him a dangerous threat. But she couldn't see that. Mutant or not, all she could see was a terrified, hurt, lonely little boy. A child who longed for any kind of acceptance, desperate for something, anything to hold on to. 

She felt a tear come to her eye again. She cried herself for a good while after the boy first woke up and she calmed him down. She never felt so helpless in her life. She caught herself as she saw a familiar figure enter the hallway. It was Roadblock. She felt a little relived. Since he had brought the boy in he had checked on him regularly every day.

Sometimes he had sat next to the boy's bed, holding his hand for a while. 

Roadblock came up to her. He noticed the worried look on her face. "Hey," He asked. "How's he doing? I heard he was up. What's wrong?"

Bree sighed and motioned Roadblock away from the boy's door before she answered. "Physically he's alright. Well as all right as can be expected after being beaten up by his so called friends and left to die. But mentally, well…Roadblock his heart's broken. That's the only way I can put it."

"His friends? The Brotherhood did that to him?" He choked in surprise.

"Yeah. The Brotherhood,"she spat out the name sarcastically. "Nice name huh? What kind of brothers would do that to a kid?"

Roadblock's eyes turned cold. "No true brothers would do that."

Bree nodded. "He's terrified. He thinks we are going to hurt him. He won't eat. He hardly talks. He keeps crying every couple of hours. If something isn't done soon, he's going to hurt himself or worse."

"Hmmm," Roadblock thought. "Maybe there is a way to get through to him. I've got an idea. I've read the kid's file. It's a longshot, but maybe it might at least get him to eat. I'll be back in a few minutes. There's something I cooked up last night that just might get his attention." 

Bree stood there puzzled at Roadblock as he smiled his best 'I've got an idea' grin. 

"Don't worry so woman, Roadblock's got a plan," he called out as he left.

Todd simply lay there, too tired to cry anymore. He kept his eyes shut to the world. His fingers absently toyed with the blanket he had pulled over his head. He focused his attention on the fabric contemplating its softness. He couldn't think of what to do. For a brief moment he considered trying to escape, but even if he did get out, where would he go? He realized it no longer mattered. He was completely at the mercy of fate. All he could do was await the inevitable.

He pretended not to hear the door open. "Todd?" the nurse's soft voice reached his ears. Probably trying to get him to eat again. He was still embarrassed over his crying fit. Half of him wanted for her to shut the door and go away. The other half longing for her to hold him again. 

"Todd, you have a visitor." He couldn't have heard that right. Who would want to see him? No one he knew.

"Hey kid," a gentle hand shook his shoulder. He knew that voice. He looked around and saw a face he swore he had seen before. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was looking at the smiling face of his rescuer.

"You…?" Todd stammered.

"This is Roadblock," the nurse explained. "It was his unit that found you. He's been coming in here every day to check up on you."

Todd was genuinely surprised. "You, did? Um…Thanks. Y'know, for what it's worth."

"Don't mention it. It'll be fine, you'll be outta here in no time," Roadblock smiled.

"Yeah," Todd looked down. "Not exactly too many places for me to go. Well, at least I'm not dead. That's worth something I guess."

He caught a look Roadblock gave to the nurse. A look that said 'I see what you mean'. "Look," the nurse placed a tray with food on the table next to him. "I'm just gonna leave this here. When you get hungry, you can eat it, okay?"

"Yeah," Todd sighed, barely keeping his head up. The nurse let herself out the door, leaving Roadblock alone with him.

"Don't worry kid," Roadblock comforted him. "It's gonna be okay. Hey, you've hit the bottom, nowhere to go but up."

"Story of my life. All there is is bottoms. Every time I think things can't get any worse, they do. I've tried so long and so hard for things to get better, but it never works. It's time I finally faced reality. There's nothing out there for me any more," He shut his eyes, fighting back another tear.

"Don't say things like that! We got a saying around here, 'as long as you're breathing there's hope'! You can't give up on yourself. Like you said, you ain't dead. That's worth something. Do you really want to die?"

Todd replied in a small voice. "No."

"Good! That's the first step. If you really wanted to give up, you'd have done it already. But you didn't. You're still here. There's a fighter deep down inside of you. You know that's true."

"But what's gonna happen to me?"

"You are going to get better. That's what's going to happen. Concentrate on just getting well again. That's all you need to do. Take it one day at a time. And the first thing you should do is try to eat something." He placed the tray on the bed. Todd looked at it with apathy. 

__

Time for Plan B thought Roadblock as he brought out a paper bag. "Well, if you're not hungry, I am. Hope you don't mind. Brought myself a home made snack." Roadblock chomped on something brown and crunchy, humming with delight. "Hmmm. Not bad if I do say so myself! One of my favorite snacks! I love the wings! They're the crunchiest part."

"Wings?" That caught Todd's attention.

"Now some people say it's the legs that give it its flavor. But me, it's the wings everytime. Wanna taste kid?" He held out something.

"What is it?"

"Chocolate covered grasshoppers."

"Real grasshoppers?"

"Course its real grasshoppers. I'm a gourmet chef. Nothing but the best and freshest ingredients for me! Here, taste one. Try it."

Todd stared at the offering. Something inside him clicked on like a switch. Tentatively he took it in his hand and put it in his mouth. His eyes had a strange look as he crunched on it. 

Roadblock smiled. "Good ain't it? Not too many people realize that a lot of insects are quite delicious, and nutritious. With a balanced meal of course. If you want any more there are plenty in this…"

Thwack! Todd's tongue shot out and grabbed the entire bag. Before Roadblock could blink he downed the entire thing, paper bag and all.

"Bag…" Roadblock finished. He looked at the boy, who was now actually smiling nervously. 

"Sorry," Todd apologized. "I guess I was hungrier than I thought."

"Well, that's okay kid. I can always make another batch," Roadblock sighed. "Now maybe you should try this stuff. Hey, it's not that bad. Try it." 

Thwack! Out shot the tongue again. Roadblock gave the kid a dirty look.

"Kid, are there any forks where you come from?"

"So the question remains, what do we do with him?"

General Hawk looked at the assembled company. Duke, Flint, BeachHead, Lifeline, Roadblock and Sgt. Slaughter were all sitting around the desk. BeachHead grunted, "Why can't we just hand him over to Xavier? It's the easiest way out of this mess!"

"Because Mystique threatened his life, and she just happens to be the principal at Bayview," replied Hawk

"You're kidding?" Beach Head groaned.

"I wish I was."

"Let me get this straight," the Sarge spoke. "She runs the school, the professor knows all about it, and he still sends his students there? And people say I take risks!"

"Well that takes care of that," said Flint. "She's psycho enough to carry out that threat, Xavier or not. We can't send the kid there."

"Agreed," said Hawk. "What goes on in that man's mind is beyond me! I mean, sending kids into that kind of situation, I don't care what powers they have! The Brotherhood alone in the school is bad enough, but hey they're students too. It's having the principal there. I mean, can you imagine her calling for the kid for a meeting in her office and…" He shuddered at the thought.

"I think we all get the picture, so what do we do?" asked Duke.

"Send him to the government agency that deals with mutants," said Beach Head. 

"Are you out of your mind?" shouted Roadblock. "You know what goes on in those places! They'll dissect him, cut his brain into little pieces, and kill him, in that order! Why not just shoot him? It would be quicker." 

"I'm open to that option," replied Beach Head with a disturbingly calm voice.

"You would," Roadblock rose out of his seat clenching his fists. Lifeline and the others stopped him by shouting him down.

"Okay, before any bones get broken I've already decided we are not sending the boy to the government. And we are certainly not going to shoot him!" He gave Beach Head a dirty look.

"Well, do we just let him go or what?" asked Duke.

"We can't do that. He's only fifteen. He'll be alone out there," argued Lifeline.

"Then send him to jail," snapped Beach Head.

"For what?" asked Roadblock.

"Terrorism."

"Terrorism?! Are you out of your mind? I don't believe this!" Several voices shouted at once.

"The Brotherhood may be punks, but compared to Cobra they're more like a street gang," said Duke. "I wouldn't exactly call them terrorists."

"Fine, send him up for being part of a gang, pickpocketing, vandalism, jaywalking, whatever it takes!" shouted Beach Head. "He's a dangerous threat to humanity!"

"He's a kid!" Now it was Lifeline's turn to shout. "A scared boy who made a mistake."

"Joining a terrorist who wants to wipe out humanity? Some mistake."

"He's not with them anymore!"

"Only because he's so incompetent they kicked him out!"

"Wait a minute, first he's a threat, now he's incompetent? Which is it BeachHead, he can't be both?" asked Lifeline.

"You read my report Lifeline you know what I mean!" BeachHead's face was getting red. 

"Yes, your report. Which states and I quote: "The individual Toad is by far the weakest link in the Brotherhood chain. His fighting skills are inadequate at best and without a doubt he is a complete and total coward." Well Beach Head if he's such an incompetent washout that hardly makes him such a threat doesn't it?"

There were more than a few chuckles at Beach Head's embarrassment. Roadblock guffawed, "I tell you Beach Head, I don't know what I like better, him sticking you or you getting stuck!"

"All right smart guy so what _do_ we do with him then?" snarled BeachHead. "He can't stay here!"

"Well…" Lifeline said. "Why not?"

Everyone's jaw dropped at the exact same time. "Uh, did you just say what I think you said?" asked Duke. "You? Mister Pacifist? Mister Let's Give Peace a Chance?"

"You wanna draft him?" asked the Sarge. "He's a minor. We can't do that. Can we?"

"No no! Hear me out," Lifeline responded. "Listen, this kid needs to be somewhere where he will not only be safe, but properly trained. Since Xavier's is out, the next best solution is here. If you think about it it's quite practical. Why not train him now when he's young and can be rehabilitated? Better that now than having to fight him later I say. I'm not saying put him in with the troops and send him on missions. What he needs is a safe, disciplined environment. Someplace where he won't be beat up and hurt all the time. A home. Besides, he wouldn't be the only kid we are hiding on this base. You remember Shipwreck and his kids? And let's not forget your kid Flint."

"He's gotta point there." Said Flint.

"So let me get this straight," said Beach Head. "You wanna adopt the kid? Lifeline, I know you and Bree want to have a family, but don't you think you should get one a little younger? That kid will run you ragged within a week!"

"I wasn't referring to myself. I do agree with you, however, he does need discipline. And there is one person here who is perfect for the job." Lifeline turned to the man next to him with a smile. The others looked at his choice and agreed with a grin.

"Oh no…" Roadblock groaned.

"Roadblock, he responds to you," Lifeline argued. "You saved his life. You're the one who got him to eat. You sat by his side when he was sick. You're perfect for him."

"Are you crazy? Look Lifeline, don't get me wrong, I wanna help the kid, but if I have him around it won't be heaven. To whip this kid into shape it's gonna be twenty-four seven."

"Well if time is your only concern, I can give you all the time you need," said Hawk. "He needs someone who can not only whip him into shape and train him but take care of him."

"Take care of him? Who's gonna take care of me? General…I wouldn't know where to begin! I mean, have you seen this kid eat? Pigs have more manners eating out of troughs!"

"Nobody said it was gonna be easy!" Lifeline countered. "True he has a few rough spots…"

"A few rough spots? That's like saying a zebra only has a couple of stripes!"

"Roadblock, let's face facts," said Sarge. "Next to me, you're the best drill instructor on this base. Besides you've got a way with kids."

"Yeah Roadblock you're tough, but fair," said Duke. "If anyone can keep that kid in line it's you."

"You're one of the smartest guys on this base. You can be his teacher. Keep him up on schoolwork," added Flint.

"Plus you both eat bugs, so it's a perfect match," said Beach Head. 

"Roadblock, that kid has nothing. You are probably the best last chance he has," reasoned Lifeline. "He needs all the help he can get, emotionally as well as physically. He needs a father. Roadblock, you saw what that kid went through. When you brought him in you were so worried you wouldn't leave his side. I saw you hold that kid's hand for hours every night. Out of everyone on this entire base, you are the only one who has a real connection with the kid. Can you honestly tell me you would save his life only to let him lose it?"

Roadblock groaned and put his head in his hands. "All right I give in, you win! I'll do it. But the first one of you that calls me 'Daddy' I'm gonna knock into next week."

"Think of it as a challenge," said Hawk.

"Challenge. Ha. Invading Cobra HQ with no weapons and wearing pink frilly tutus is a challenge. This…is gonna be hard."

"If anyone can do it, it's you," smiled Hawk. "Well, that's settled. We'll sort the rest out tomorrow."

Beach Head sniggered as they left. "I don't know what I like better, him sticking you or you getting stuck!"

"Why me lord?" Roadblock rolled his eyes.

************************************************************************

Lifeline finished examining Todd. It had been nearly a week since he had woken up. He had felt stronger every day. Even his bruises were gone. Lifeline smiled. "Well I think you are just about healed."

Todd liked Lifeline. He was kind and understanding. He was one of the few adults in his short life that treated him like a real person. He didn't seem to want to use him for experiments or anything like that. He didn't even seem to mind his smell. When he asked Lifeline about it, he had shrugged and told him that he had smelled worse. Besides, his natural scent was merely a medical condition that could possibly be controlled, if not cured.

His wife the nurse was nice too. Her name was Bree. She often came in to check up on him and talk to him. She comforted him once more, when he had a horrible nightmare reliving his ordeal. She didn't seem to mind his scent either as she held him.

He didn't feel so alone anymore. Once he had let it slip that he had no friends, Lifeline spoke up "Of course you do! You have at least 3 on this base. Bree, Roadblock and me. We are not going to let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

Todd wished that were true. At least Lifeline was kind enough to try and make things better. Not that it would do any good. He wished he hadn't healed so quickly after his long nap. He wanted to stay safe in the hospital room. Normally he hated hospitals, but this place was different. The Joe medic was nice to him and never yelled. He felt almost safe here.

However, that was not to last.

Beach Head stormed into the room. "Alright Frog-Boy, up and at 'em! You're wanted by the big shots! Get dressed and…for god's sake haven't you gotten rid of that smell yet?" 

"Beach Head!" Lifeline snapped. "You have all the tact of a guided missile! You know that his scent is only a part of his natural mutation!"

"Yeah, what's your excuse?" Todd muttered. Beach Head moved forward menacingly. Todd flinched even thought Lifeline restrained him.

"Listen you little punk," snarled Beach Head. "In my opinion you are getting off way too easy! If this were a proper military base you would be locked up in a hole so deep you'd never see the light of day again!"

"That's enough Beach Head! Lifeline snapped. "Leave him alone! I will personally get him ready. Just give me an hour."

Beach Head sneered, "Just get rid of that smell!" He left. Todd felt very afraid. He pulled his knees to his chest.

"Don't worry," Lifeline patted him on the back. "Beach Head's mostly all bark. He won't hurt you. C'mon, let's get you ready."

Todd followed Lifeline to the next room. Inside was a bath filled with a strange green bubblebath. "We made up a concoction to help neutralize your natural scent. You have to sit in it at least twenty minutes, so take your time. I got you some clothes too. Your uniform was pretty torn up beyond repair." He took out a change of clothes from the closet as well as a towel.

"That's okay," Todd sighed. "Don't need it anymore anyway. So this stuff is gonna make me smell good?" He looked at the tub.

"That's the idea."

"Whoa…freaky," Todd crinkled his nose at the concoction. Lifeline shrugged and placed the garments on a nearby chair. He left the room and closed the door to give Todd some privacy.

With a sigh of resignation, Todd slipped out of the hospital garment and into the warm water as quickly as possible. The water was warm and the strange bubbles felt good fizzing against his skin. Todd lay back, grateful that Lifeline respected his privacy. It was humiliation enough for him to be naked by himself, but if someone else saw him…

The thought made Todd shudder. That was another reason he hated to bathe. Sure the water did nothing to wash away his toad smell. Yes and his webbed hands and feet seemed more apparent in water. But having a body like his was the worst. Okay, the webbed appendages were bad enough, but his skin seemed to have a pale almost greenish hue to it. He was short. His legs although they were strong were slightly bowed and far too skinny. His arms were scrawny as well. As for his more private parts of his anatomy, well he certainly did not want to go there. They seemed…less developed than other kids his age for some reason.

He had an almost total lack of body hair. He was smooth skinned, like an amphibian. He had no hair on his arms, legs, or chest. He didn't even have any armpit or pubic hair for crying out loud. This was another reason he hated the sight of Nighcrawler. The X-man had fur all over his body. It wasn't fair. Sure, it gave people the creeps, but it was better to be feared than laughed at. Besides with all that hair on his body it seemed more…adult. And here he was, stuck with this smooth little kid body.

He would never admit this jealously to anyone. It irked him enough to admit it to himself. Once he had fantasized about what it would be like to have fur on his body. He had found an old ratty fur muff once, and slid it on his arm. He petted it for a minute, imagining that the fur was his. Unfortunately he happened to be near a lit candle at the time and he got a bit too close to it. After he had healed and Mystique had finished redecorating the kitchen there was a little meeting about how Todd was no longer allowed near matches for a very long time.

With an annoyed sigh Todd started to wash himself. He forced himself to scrub his skin as much as possible, something he had not done in a long time. He then paid attention to his hair. He hated his hair as much as he hated his body. It was that awful shade of dirty blonde. It made him feel so impure. But he hated the thought of losing what little hair he had. That was why he grew it long. 

He sunk deeper into the water. He stuck his toes out of the bathtub. His feet looked like flippers. He remembered a movie he once saw about a mermaid in New York. When she took a bath, she stuck her tail out of the water. His feet looked almost exactly like that tail only shorter and stubbier.

Finally, he figured it was time to come out. He dried himself off and started to get dressed. He took a brief whiff of his scent. Well, it did do some good. At least it wasn't as offensive as it normally was. He sighed as he put on a green outfit, much like a private's uniform. The arms were too short and the pants were too long. He never felt so pathetic in his entire life.

He opened the door and saw Lifeline waiting for him. He caught the look on his face. "Well," Lifeline sighed. "It'll have to do for now. Come on, they're waiting for you. Now just do what I told you to do and everything will be okay."

Todd nodded and meekly followed Lifeline down the hallway. He barely dared to look up at the passers by. Everywhere he looked he saw huge muscular soldiers with perfect bodies. They looked like supermodels from Soldier of Fortune for crying out loud! And there he was: a short gangly freak. He never felt so out of place in his entire life.

Lifeline finally led him to a large room with the word "courthouse" on the door. With a gulp, Todd went in. He sat down in a chair before a panel of distinguished looking soldiers. The one in the middle pounded his gavel. "This court is now in session," he spoke in a clear tone that made Todd flinch. "Todd Tolensky, a.k.a. Toad, we are well aware of your record. Fortunately for you, it is the judgement of this court that it is not in society's best interest to sentence you to prison. It is the judgement of this court that you will be placed in a foster home. You will also undergo counseling and training in order to develop your abilities and to become a functioning member of society. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Todd's voice was very small. What other choice did he have?

"Very well. Roadblock, do you accept full responsibility for this boy?"

Todd looked in shock as Roadblock stood up. "I do."

"Very well, you may now take the boy into your custody. This court is adjourned." He pounded the gavel. As he got up he added, "One piece of advise son, you have just been given a second chance. Don't blow it."

Just like that. Todd didn't know exactly what had happened. He felt like he had been spared and condemned at the same time. Nervously, he looked up at Roadblock.

"Now listen boy," Roadblock spoke sternly. "You are now my responsibility! That means in addition to you working on your fighting skills, I am the one responsible for feeding you, clothing you, teaching you, tutoring you, keeping you out of trouble, punishing you when you get in trouble, in sickness and in health 'til death do us part! Do you understand?"

Todd nodded weakly. "Now this is how it's gonna be," Roadblock said. "I will treat you fair, if you act square. That means I expect you to do certain things. You will do chores. You will do homework. You will go to bed at a regular time, eat 3 nutritious meals a day…using a knife and fork, not your tongue! You will also bathe every day. You will be respectful to your elders and stay out of trouble as much as humanly possible. Step outta line, your butt is mine! Do I make myself clear?'

"Y-yes sir," Todd shuddered.

"Good," Roadblock softened. "Now let's go home."

**So what do you think? I have changed one or two things about the Joes in my story. Which means a few new characters will come in later on, but not for a while. Meantime I'm using characters all owned by someone else! Plus I have given them a lot more independence from the traditional military. Poor Todd, he doesn't know that technically the military has no authority over mutants! So what will happen next? Stay tuned. **


	3. We Interrupt this Story...

**We Interrupt This Story….**

**Just a brief note: First, sorry people I hate to break this to some of you, but this is a Toad story, which means you won't be seeing too much of the other members of the Brotherhood. However, when I get this story done, I will work on a parallel story involving the X-Men and the Brotherhood. I just need a lot of time with it! I thought I'd put this little Who's Who in.**

Todd:  Hey wait a minute! You can't just put author's notes in a story anymore! 

**Darn FF Net and its ever-changing rules. Okay I'll just have to make it part of the story. I just realized that not everyone has seen the GI Joe cartoon. This is just a brief description of some of the Joes that have already been met so far: In no particular order….**

Todd: We gotta do it like a story! Or else somebody will fink on us! Here's some of the notes: **(Pulls out a blackboard. With notes) **Now pay attention. 

**Roadblock: GI Joe's heavy machine gunner. He is also an accomplished gourmet chef and tends to speak in rhyme. He is considered one of the strongest Joes on the team. Also one of the few Joes that can be considered sane. In my story I put him in charge of raising Todd. He is about 6ft 5, African-American, bald. He has a mustache and a goatee. Basically his personality is what you get if you combined Muhammad Ali with Emeril. **

General Hawk: The leader in charge of GI Joe. A one star general in charge of a group of 4 star lunatics. He is a brilliant tactician. He is also tough as nails, but also very compassionate. Extreme believer in democracy and justice and that it applies to everyone, even mutants. Especially after an incident…well more on that later in the story. He is 6ft 2, Caucasian. Wears a green helmet with a general's star on it. Wears a brown fighter jacket with green pants. Dark hair. 

Lifeline: The GI Joe medic and now in charge of the medical dept. He is a pacifist-that means he doesn't fight or believe in fighting. He will not even carry a gun. Extremely compassionate and giving. Will run out into a battlefield without a weapon to save another's life without regarding his own. Often spends most of his time trying to stop fights between some of the Joes. General Hawk considers him a close confidant. Wears a bright red medic uniform, green eyeglasses. Black hair, Caucasian, about 6 ft 2 inches. In my story although he is not a mutant, Lifeline will have a power all his own…

Bree: The GI Joe nurse, married to Lifeline. Originally from the episode "Million Dollar Medic" on GI Joe. I brought her in to the Joes and married to Lifeline because she is completely crazy about him. Although she came from a wealthy family and a life of privilege, she is truly a caring person and loves helping. Sometimes she does go overboard on the helping bit though. Blond, wears a red medic uniform. 

Beach Head: Ranger. Fourth in command at GI Joe. (It goes Hawk, Duke, Flint, Beach Head, Sgt. Slaughter.) He is a jerk, plain and simple. He is an excellent fighter and totally dedicated to his career. Very ambitious. Thinks the army way is the only way. He hates imperfection and anything that is not done to regulation. That's why he's always irritated living with the Joes. And having Todd on the base is gonna make his life worse. Wears a green outfit with a green ski mask. 

Duke and Flint: Second and Third in command of GI Joe. Duke is blonde and Flint is brunette with a beret. (Personally I think they both look alike anyway!) Not much of them in this fic so don't worry about it. 

Sgt. Slaughter: Fifth in command. Some of you wrestling fans may remember him from the old days. He's not gonna pop up much in this fic either.

COBRA: A ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. 

Well that's all the Joes so far. There will be more of them to come. The two most important ones in this fic are: 

Shipwreck: An insane sailor which a knack for getting into trouble.

Stormshadow: A former Cobra ninja, now working with the Joes. 

Todd: See these are important notes! Now for a story part. Uh…So what's new with you Red? 

**Oh brother…**

Todd: Well I can always sing or something. To thank people for reading this story for so long and supporting this series! _La, La, La…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you…_

**Okay that's enough (Shuts Todd's mouth with her hand.) Can we get back to the heart wrenching angst now? **

Todd: Do we have to?

**Yes. Okay more heart wrenching madness coming up! **

************************************************************************

Roadblock walked back to his quarters with Todd. He shuffled behind him, barely able to look him in the eye. _Okay I can do this, _Roadblock thought trying hard not to give into the temptation to coddle the boy. _Somebody has to make a man out of him. Even if it means being hard on the kid. It's for his own good. _

He hoped he knew what he was doing was the right thing. 


	4. Day One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah…So here's chapter three. Todd moves in with Roadblock. Lotta sad stuff here. Boy was I in a depressed mood when I wrote this chapter.**

**Day One**

Cautiously Todd picked at his food. He didn't know what it was, something French was what Roadblock said, but he really wasn't paying attention. He was still in a world of his own. He barely looked up at Roadblock or said anything for fear of the huge Joe. He had hardly eaten anything, not that the food wasn't good, he was just too scared to eat much.

Something Roadblock said startled the boy and caused him to jump. In his fear he accidentally knocked over his milk glass. Todd shrieked in terror as he saw Roadblock get up and instinctively crouched on the floor. He covered his head with his hands, waiting for the blows to come.

They didn't. Todd tentatively peeked out from behind his fingers. Roadblock stood there, in shock. His mouth was literally hung open. Finally he knelt down to the boy. "Todd. Todd take it easy."

Todd cringed at Roadblock's touch. Gently Roadblock stroked the boy's hair in an attempt to comfort him. "Todd listen to me. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you."

Todd looked into his eyes. He didn't say anything. Roadblock laid his hand on his shoulder. "Todd, listen to me," Roadblock explained. "I do tend to yell a bit. But there's one thing I won't do is hit. I'm not like that. What I say is true. I won't hurt you."

Todd breathed a little sigh of relief, but he still was stiff. Roadblock sighed as he helped him up. "You okay now?"

Todd nodded. "You hungry?" Roadblock asked. Todd shook his head. "Okay kid, I guess if you're not hungry you shouldn't be forced to eat. Why don't you get ready for bed instead? Okay?"

Todd nodded and numbly went into the bedroom. He took a pair of pajamas on the bed and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he emerged it was obvious the pajamas he was wearing were way too big for him. Roadblock sighed, "Well I think tomorrow what we should do is find some clothes that fit you. Now you okay?"

Todd nodded again and allowed Roadblock to guide him to the bed. Roadblock tucked him in and mussed his hair. "Goodnight kid. Get some sleep. Tomorrow we have a big day ahead." Roadblock said as he turned off the light and closed the door behind him.

Todd turned over and curled up into a fetal position. Tears ran down his face as he lay there. _Why didn't Magneto simply kill me?_ That thought played over and over in his mind as he cried himself to sleep.

Roadblock sighed to himself as he finished clearing off the table. He had only started with the boy and already he felt like a failure. _He thought I was going to beat him._ He thought. _He's terrified of me! Lord, how can I help him if he doesn't trust me?_

"What am I going to do?" he whispered a silent prayer. "How can I get through to him?"

He shook his head. Dark memories resurfaced from the corners of his mind. He remembered certain missions. Missions he wanted desperately to forget. The mangled, destroyed bodies in the COBRA labs he had raided. The unlucky, unwanted experiments left to die in agony. All for science. And the worst of all was on the COBRA held island of Moreausan.

Roadblock clenched his fist. That was not going to happen to the boy. He would not allow history to repeat himself. Not if he could help it. 

He looked around at the new quarters he and the boy had been given. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with a small living room and a kitchen/dining room area. Usually apartments like this were reserved for officers, but the general had decided that this would be more fitting for the boy. Plus Roadblock was in line for a promotion anyway so Hawk didn't see any harm in moving into it a little early.

Roadblock sighed again. The boy had had a lot of hard breaks in life. The last thing he needed was to live in fear. He had to prove himself to the boy. Somehow he had to show him that he was not a monster, but a friend.

The next day Todd found himself in front of a huge obstacle course. He looked down at his new clothes. He had green pants and a brown top that was very similar to his old one he wore at Bayville. Only this time he was wearing a T-shirt under it and it wasn't sloppily hanging out as usual. His boots were not regulation, but looked more like the boots he wore with his old uniform, only they were brown.

He looked up at Roadblock. "Stand straight!" He ordered. "Now listen up, at home you're Todd. But out here, you're Toad. Got it?"

Toad meekly nodded and tried to stand as straight as possible. "Now listen," Roadblock said. "I want to see how fast you can go through this obstacle course! Ready? Go!"

Toad raced to the start of the course and promptly tripped over the very first obstacle, a tire. Roadblock put his head in his hands and moaned. "Lord, this is gonna be haaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrddddddddddddd."

**Yes I know, short chapter, but it's mostly to set up what's about to come. Poor Todd. Things go from bad to worse. Or do they?**


	5. Turning Point

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine but this idea. Chapter 4 of Ronin Toad! Just when you thought there could not be any more angst…You thought I was depressed last chapter, wait 'till you read this one!**

**Turning Point**

Todd lay there in the bathtub. He wished he could somehow wash away his failure as well as the majority of his natural scent. But he couldn't. It kept replaying over and over and over in his mind.

He still couldn't do it. One week and he still couldn't complete that stupid obstacle course without tripping and falling over nearly every single obstacle! The humiliation of falling face first again and again into the mud was bad enough, but the words were worse. The words of Beach Head and a few other Joes as they snickered as they watched him.

"_Hey Roadblock! Send that boy back to the swamp!"_

"So that's what they mean by 'gifted'!"

"Oh he's gifted all right!"

"You can't make a man outta that tadpole!"

"Needs to grow a couple of new legs!"

Roadblock had chased them away, but he had caught the look of disgust on his face. Todd knew that the only reason the Joes had saved him was to make something out of him. A soldier for them. It was the only reason that made sense. Well, now they were figuring out why Magneto had tossed him out. Sooner or later they'd give up on him too. 

He forced himself out of the bath. He didn't dry himself off. He looked in the mirror hating what he saw. _Ugly, stupid, useless Toad!_ His mind screamed. _I'm amazed you haven't been beaten senseless yet! It's only a matter of time before they give up on you! _His eyes grew red with tears. _How can they make anything out of you? You can't even do a simple obstacle course right!_

Angrily he stared at his reflection. He couldn't take it anymore. Self-disgust and rage boiled over. _Can't do anything right! Stupid, stupid, stupid Toad!_ Without thinking, he raised both of his fists and threw them at the mirror with full force….

************************************************************************

Roadblock sighed to himself for the thousandth time that day. The boy was still terrified of him. True, it had only been a week and he really couldn't blame the kid for feeling like that. With the life he had led it was only natural for him to be so afraid. Still, it bothered Roadblock deeply. And with Beach Head and those other yahoos hooting at the boy like that certainly did not help matters. If only…

A loud crash broke him out of his revere. It came from the bathroom. "Todd!" He yelled. "What's going on in there?" He pounded on the door, but got no response. With a swift kick he dislodged the door. To his horror, Todd was curled up into a ball naked and whimpering. His hands and arms were covered with blood. The bathroom mirror was smashed to pieces. 

"Todd why?" Roadblock screamed as his heart leapt into his throat. He raced towards him and tried to stop the bleeding. He grabbed his communicator that he always kept and shouted. "Lifeline! This is Roadblock! I need you! Todd's hurt himself!"

Roadblock barely listened to Lifeline's response as he worked on Todd's wounds.

"I'm sorry I broke your mirror," Todd spoke in a soft dazed voice just before he passed out.

The first thing Todd noticed was a strange heavy feeling in his arms. He opened his eyes. He was lying on a cot somewhere, wearing a hospital gown and bandages on his arms and hands. At first he didn't understand, then it all came back to him. He closed his eyes and felt tears leaking out of them.

"He's awake!"

Todd opened his eyes. Roadblock was by his side. "Aw kid…"he stammered before pulling Todd into a massive bear hug.

Todd lay there in Roadblock's arms. He was confused. _Why is he holding me like this? Why didn't he yell at me for breaking the mirror?_ He looked up at him with tear stained eyes. To his shock he could see water in Roadblock's eyes. _Why is he crying? It was only a stupid mirror after all. Why should he feel so bad about it?_

Todd closed his eyes, puzzled. He felt his hair being stroked gently, almost lovingly. Todd relaxed as he listened to Roadblock's heartbeat. _Maybe he's not upset about the mirror._ The thought slowly dawned upon him. _Maybe he's upset about me. But why would he be? What's his angle? I mean, aren't the Joes trying to turn me into a soldier or something? It doesn't make sense. Soldiers don't cry._ He heard a soft, sad familiar voice.

"Todd, please, please, please don't do that again! Please don't hurt yourself like that!"

Todd looked up. Roadblock was openly crying. He pulled Todd closer. "I don't know what I did or said to make you do that. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore," he sobbed.

_He thinks it's his fault!_ Todd was shocked. _But it isn't his fault! Maybe that's why he feels so bad!_

"You can't help it if I'm stupid," Todd spoke softly. 

Roadblock looked him in the eyes, shocked. "No you're not!" Roadblock said angrily. "That's not true! Don't say things like that!"

"But it is," Todd replied confused. "It's true. I'm useless."

"No it isn't! I never want to hear you say that again! Do you hear me? Never again!" Roadblock held him tightly in another bear hug. "You are not stupid! You are not useless! You are not!" He shouted. 

Todd hugged him back. _He really doesn't think I'm stupid! Why? _At that moment he didn't care. He just clung to Roadblock and cried. He felt tired and closed his eyes. He felt an unusual warmth from inside of him. _Maybe he doesn't have an angle. Could he be sad because he really cares about me?_

Todd let his mind drift aimlessly. The next thing he knew he smelled bacon. _I must be dreaming. _He opened his eyes. He was in his bed, tucked in. Confused, he sat up and looked at his hands. They were still covered with bandages. He took another whiff of the air. _I do smell bacon!_

Todd hopped out of the bed and cautiously peeked his head out the door. He saw Roadblock making breakfast in the small kitchenette. Todd looked out in wonder. _I used to have dreams like this! Being tucked in at night. Someone making me breakfast when I woke up…_

Roadblock saw him. "Hey kid, you feeling better?"

Todd felt the strange warmth again. He nodded, still confused. He walked a little closer. Roadblock tussled his hair.

"Do me a favor kid, don't scare me like that again!"

"You were scared?" Todd was surprised. "Why?"

" 'Cause I was afraid I might lose you, that's why! When I saw you covered with blood…I don't wanna even think about the thoughts that ran through my head! Why did you do such a thing?"

"I don't really know," Todd sighed. "I was just so…angry at me and I hated looking at me…I guess I just snapped."

"Todd, you had a bad day. That's no reason to hurt yourself! You should have talked to me first," Roadblock put his hand on his shoulder.

"I dunno. I guess I didn't think of that," Todd shrugged.

"Well from now on, when something bothers you, you talk to me! Got it? It's not good keeping things bottled up inside. Okay?"

"Okay," Todd agreed. "You were really worried about me?"

"Yes. I was."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you. What can I say?" He smiled. "I've gotten used to you."

The warm feeling inside Todd grew even stronger. Todd smiled when he realized what it was. _He cares about me! He really cares about me! He doesn't have an angle. He doesn't want to hurt me. He just wants to help me._ "Umm…Can I eat now?"

"Sure kid," Roadblock laughed. "Yeah you're all right."

Todd contentedly munched his breakfast. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was starting to like being with Roadblock. He had given him a warm bed and decent clothes. He made good food and didn't care that Todd liked to eat insects. He was patient and never hit him. He even seemed to enjoy his company. That was something he hadn't had in a long time.

_So this is what it's like to have someone take care of you,_ He thought to himself. _It's not so bad. It's actually kinda nice._

"So," Todd said between mouthfuls. "Are we going back on the obstacle course again today?"

"You sure you wanna do that? What about your hands?"

Todd looked at them. "Don't hurt that much."

"Well, I dunno. I don't want to get your bandages dirty and infected. Tell you what, if you're feeling up to it I'll take you to the exercise room later on and we can work on your kicks. How about that?"

"Okay."

"But first we're gonna do a little school work."

"Awwww."

"Yeah yeah. I know. But your education is important too." Roadblock winked. "Gotta smarten you up."

"I guess you've got a point there."

"Finished already?" Roadblock looked in surprise at Todd's empty plate. "Do you want more?"

"Nah. But that was good. Can I dry the dishes this time?"

"Sure," Roadblock smiled. "Come on."

Todd felt happy standing next to Roadblock as they did the dishes. He had never experienced such genuine kindness and compassion in his entire life. It still frightened him a little. But he now knew that Roadblock would not hurt him.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. Todd struggled a little more with his schoolwork, while Roadblock tutored him. Roadblock then helped the boy practice his kicks. Afterwards was more schoolwork and dinner. Todd felt tired so he went to bed early. Roadblock sighed to himself. _Maybe he's finally calmed down a little,_ he thought. _Maybe he'll be okay._

He was wrong.

It was later that night when Roadblock first heard the screams. At first he thought some kind of animal had somehow gotten trapped in the building. However as he listened in his bed he quickly realized the screams were coming from the room next to him. Instantly he was on alert, his heart racing as he ran into Todd's room. 

Todd lay there, tossing and turning wildly in the bed. He was howling like a wild animal trapped in a cage. The blankets were tossed from his bed to the floor and there were rips in some of the sheets. 

"Todd wake up! Wake up!" Roadblock shook him awake. The boy's eyes snapped open. They were glazed and did not recognize him. He whimpered and tried to pull away from Roadblock. Roadblock held him firmly. "Todd! It's me! Roadblock! Snap out of it!"

The Joe's voice had somehow jostled the boy back into reality. With tears in his eyes he clung to Roadblock. He lay there in Roadblock's arms, sobbing like an infant. Roadblock tenderly shushed him, stroking his hair, rocking him gently in order to comfort him. 

"Why?" Todd finally howled. "Why did they leave me?"

"Who?" Roadblock asked, even though he knew the answer.

"The Brotherhood," Todd sniffed, pulling away from Roadblock's embrace. "They just stood there, while Mystique and Magneto beat me. They didn't do anything! They just watched! They didn't even say nothin' to try and help me! I thought they were my friends! We were supposed to be a team! But they didn't do squat to help me!" 

Todd's body shook with rage as his voice grew higher and angrier. "They could have done somethin' or said something! They didn't! They just stood there and watched as I got beaten up and thrown out! I trusted them! I loved them! They were the closest thing to a real family I ever had! How could they do this to me? I thought they cared about me! Why didn't they help me? Why?"

Todd hid his face in his hands and continued sobbing. Roadblock held him again. Todd couldn't control himself. "I tried so hard. Any chance I found to prove myself to them I took. I was always trying to please them, no matter how much they laughed at me. But nothing I ever did worked. Nothing I ever did was good enough. They never cared about me, but I didn't want to see that. I didn't want to believe it. I wanted them to like me so much. I'd do anything to please them, Especially Magneto and Mystique. That's why I just took it all the time. I knew they really didn't care about me, but I ignored it. I thought once they got to know me, the pain would stop and they'd like me. But that didn't happen. To them I was…expendable. If I died, no big whoop. I told myself over and over that I was a part of something bigger than me, finally I was important. But I wasn't. I was just an idiot. A puppet to them."

Roadblock said nothing. For a few moments Todd lay there quietly in his arms. "Magneto, Mystique, my so called friends…they only care about themselves. They used me. I know that now. I think I always knew it, deep down, but I just didn't want to believe it. I just wanted to belong somewhere…anywhere. Even with people who never really cared about me. Out of all of them, those two, Magneto and Mystique, they're the worst. The others have been alone so long they don't know any better I guess. But they're supposed to help mutants. But how can they help mutants if they're either experimenting on them or fighting other mutants or abandoning them? They're crazy. Real sick in the head, y'know. They'll sacrifice anyone to get what they want. Even their own kids."

More silence. Roadblock said nothing but quietly comforted the boy. Todd kept talking. "I'm not very strong you know. I'm too weak. I can't make it on my own. I've tried but I can't do it anymore. I try to act tough, but it doesn't work. It doesn't even hide how empty I feel inside."

"You're not alone, kid," Roadblock told him. "Not anymore."

"You're different," Todd looked into his eyes. "You're not like anybody I ever met before. I don't understand it. You don't want to use me for anything, but you want to help me anyway. Please…don't leave me. I know I'm not good for much, but I just can't handle being on my own again. I can't."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I want to believe that," Todd shook. "You don't know how much I want to. I feel like I'm being torn apart inside. Please promise me that you won't leave me. If anything else happened…I couldn't handle it!"

"I won't leave you," Roadblock put Todd's face in his hands. "I promise."

"I know I'm useless…"

"Now cut that out!" Roadblock said angrily. "I won't hear talk like that. You understand? You just haven't been trained properly, that's all. Listen to me, we have a saying around here-There are only two times you are allowed to quit: When you succeed or when you stop breathing. And I ain't gonna do the latter for a long time!" 

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do. I promise you," He looked Todd in the eye. "Listen up, I am not going to give up on you. When I agreed to take you in and train you, I meant it! No matter what it takes, I will help you and care for you as if you were my own child. But you gotta promise me something. You can't give up on yourself either! Promise me that!"

"I-I won't give up. I promise."

"Good," Roadblock smiled. Then he turned serious. "Listen, I know you're hurtin' kid. It ain't easy. Seeing the truth never is. But don't think of this as being weak. Think of this as a moment of clarity. Your first step back. Sometimes when you've been knocked down, you need help getting up again. I'm gonna help you. I promise."

"I gotta know somethin,'" Todd asked. "Why? Why do you want to help me?"

"Because you need me," Roadblock said.

Todd sighed. "I'm tired," He spoke after a few moments. "But I don't wanna be alone now. Could you just sit with me? Please?"

Roadblock nodded and allowed the boy to rest in his arms again. He covered Todd in a stray blanket and let him nestle in his arms like a small child. Todd relaxed and listened to the sound of Roadblock's heartbeat. It was soothing and steady, almost like a lullaby. He didn't care how childish it was, he just felt so needy and helpless. All he wanted was to be held like that, to feel safe and protected. 

Todd closed his eyes, shutting out everything but that wonderful warmth of Roadblock's embrace. His mind drifted, trying to remember when he last felt such kindness. He couldn't remember. It had been too long ago and he was barely more than an infant when he last felt so wanted. He gave up trying to remember and just let himself enjoy the attention he had craved for so long.

As he drifted off to sleep, something clicked inside of him. A spark of hope that he'd long thought died out had rekindled. It was only a single step back, Todd knew. But finally it was a step in the right direction.


	6. The Trouble With Tanks

****

Chapter 5 of Ronin Toad! Now things are going to get interesting.

**The Trouble with Tanks**

Todd nervously followed Roadblock. Most of the time he had been isolated from the rest of the base. When he trained, he did it in a small exercise room and an obstacle course set up on the other side of the base. He had not ventured very far from that area before.

Of course, he hadn't put his hands through a mirror before either. Roadblock told him that it was time he started his counseling sessions with the base psychiatrist. Todd had no idea what that really meant, but he figured it could not be good. He hoped that whatever it was, it wasn't painful. Or involve electric shocks.

He looked around him as they walked across the base. Everything was still so new and frightening to him. Even though he had been on the base nearly a month, he still felt very small and alone. Still, he couldn't help staring at all the shiny vehicles, planes and other contraptions as they walked. As scary as a lot of the things looked, they also looked very interesting.

The soldiers were frightening too. They were all dressed in strange military outfits and were huge. Some of them looked at him with curiosity. Others scowled at him. Still others simply ignored him. Todd figured he'd better stick as close to Roadblock as possible.

Finally they made it to an office. Well, technically it could be called an office. What it really was Todd couldn't guess. There were beanbags all around the room instead of chairs. All kinds of weird props were cluttering the room, stuff that one would find on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" There was a Twister game in the corner. Several types of dart games on the wall. One pile of clay on a mini table. A stereo set in another corner. Quite frankly it was an adult version of a kindergarten room.

Sitting on one of the beanbags was a blond man, listening to some kind of music on headphones. He seemed oblivious to the world around him, bopping his head in time to the music. Roadblock knocked on the door and he opened his eyes and smiled brightly.

"Come in, come in," He got up. "Just clearing my brain of negative energy."

"Todd," Roadblock introduced them. "This is Psyche-Out. Our resident shrink."

Todd cautiously peeked out from behind Roadblock. "Hello," he said in a very small voice.

"Now why don't you take off for an hour and let us get acquainted," Psyche-Out told Roadblock. Todd felt his nerves tighten as Roadblock left. He really didn't want to be alone with anybody. Nervously he looked at Psyche-Out. He had no clue what to do or say. 

"Relax kid," Psyche-Out smiled. "I never sent anyone to the looney bin yet. Just have a seat and relax."

Todd carefully sat down in a large red beanbag. He looked at Psyche-Out, who flopped down in a blue beanbag. He asked, "Is this the part where you ask me how I'm feeling?"

"Now that would be a stupid question wouldn't it?" Psyche-Out said. "You've been abandoned, betrayed by people you thought cared about you. You were nearly killed. You're stuck in some weird place with a bunch of people with very big guns. There are a lot of new rules to learn and remember and if you don't you think you're gonna get shot. On top of it all you've got self-doubt eating away at you. How else could you feel?"

"Yeah," Todd sank back into the beanbag. 

"You've had nothing but a hard time," Psyche-Out said. "And you don't feel like anybody's your friend."

"That's not true!" Todd said. "I mean, Roadblock's not so bad. I mean he's strict and all, but he's not mean."

"No, he's not," Psyche-Out said. "He's kind. You haven't met someone like that in a long time, have you?"

"No," Todd fidgeted. "Are you some kind of mind reader?"

"Nah, just a very observant person who's job it is to study human nature."

"That doesn't exactly apply to me," Todd sighed. 

"Okay mutant nature," Psyche-Out shrugged. "Same difference."

Todd saw something on the floor. He picked up a small violet slinky and began to play with it. Then he nervously looked up.

"Go ahead," Psyche-Out waved. "That's what they're there for."

Todd let the slinky pass from one hand to another. "I don't know what to talk about," He admitted.

"Anything you feel like. This is merely a get-to know you session."

Todd looked around. He saw something in the corner. Psyche-Out nodded and Todd went over and picked it up. "You play Monopoly in here, yo?"

"My favorite game. Wanna play?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, set it out."

"I wanna be the guy on the horse!" Todd said setting up the game.

"I wanna be the racecar driver!" Psyche-Out said.

An hour later Roadblock found the two engrossed in the game. "I got second prize in a beauty contest!" Todd crowed. "Money! Money! Money!"

"Agghh! Kid you're killing me!" Psyche-Out groaned.

" I hate to disturb you two," Roadblock said. "You want me to come back later."

"Nah, I think the kid's beaten me pretty good," Psyche-Out shook his head. "Todd why don't you put the game away while I have a word with Roadblock?"

"Okay," Todd cheerfully did so. The two men conferred outside.

"Well?" Roadblock asked.

"He's obviously very insecure, considering the way he's been treated," Psyche-Out said. "But he is starting to bond with you. It's going to take time. Just keep at it and be patient with him. Plus it would be good for him if you showed him around the base and met some other people. It would do him good to socialize a little more."

"What about…?" Roadblock began.

"That's going to take a while," Psyche-Out told him. "He can't really deal with his past just yet. Once he starts feeling secure about his environment and his relationship with you…then he can move on. He's been through a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if he has any repressed memories. He doesn't really know how to trust anyone anymore. Especially himself. Right now, the best thing you can do is to be there for him. We'll start the sessions off slow. Once or twice a week, depending on how he needs it."

"Alright," Roadblock nodded. "Come on kid, let's go. Say goodbye to your little playmate."

"Bye!" Todd waved as they left. "That was fun. He's kinda nutty for a shrink though."

"He is a bit odd Todd," Roadblock smiled.

"Are we going to the training area again?" Todd asked.

"Not just yet. I think it's time I showed you around the base a little."

"Really?" Todd perked up. "Cool."

"Let's go to the motor pool," Roadblock led the way. Todd marveled at all the huge tanks and strange vehicles. 

One Joe hopped out of a tank. "Yo! Roadblock!" He waved. "How Y'all doin'?"

"Cross-Country?" Roadblock looked surprised. "What are you doing?" 

"Oh my Havoc's in the shop and I got assigned to tank duty for the day," he drawled in a southern accent.

"What engine trouble?" Roadblock asked.

"Nope, putting in a CD player." Cross-Country said. "So this is Toad huh? Howdy!"

"Hello," Todd said shyly as he shook his hand. "That your tank yo?"

"Nah, it's a loaner," Cross-Country said. "Roadblock I gotta talk to you…"

"Oh no," Roadblock groaned. "If it's about what I think it's about I don't wanna know!"

"Come on RB! You gotta help me! I think Cover Girl is seeing Dusty again tonight!"

"What does that have to do with me? She don't belong to you, she's free!" Roadblock asked. He didn't notice Todd was staring at the tank and touching it. 

"Roadblock you promised you'd help me win her heart!" Cross-Country whined. 

"Hey Roadblock! Can I look inside the tank?" Todd asked. 

"Uh yeah, sure kid," Roadblock said, not quite paying attention. "Cross-Country I said I'd only advise you what to do! The rest is up to you!"

"But Roadblock you gotta help me! I can't take much more of this! I keep wondering who does she like? Does she like Dusty? Does she like me? Who is she thinking of? Is she thinking of me?"

"What does this button do?" 

"Huh?" Roadblock startled at the last question. Mainly because the tank started to roll at the same time.

"Aw man I must have left the keys inside!" Cross-Country yelped as the tank moved forward and was gaining speed. 

"LOOK OUT! RUNNAWAY TANK!" 

The tank rolled forward and crashed through the motor pool wall. Joes everywhere were fleeing as the tank ran into an obstacle course. "How do you stop this thing?" Todd shouted. 

"Push the red button kid!" Cross-Country screamed as he and Roadblock chased the tank. 

"WHICH RED BUTTON?" Todd screamed looking at dozens of red buttons inside the tank. It rapidly careened throughout the base. He started pushing various buttons. This caused the tank to twist and turn sharply as well as firing the odd shot. Fortunately all Todd was able to hit were obstacles and empty crates. 

Roadblock ran along side as the tank slowed down. Somehow he managed to leap onto the vehicle and get inside the cockpit. He shut it off and glared at Todd. Todd shrunk into the seat. "I shouldn't have pushed that button shouldn't I?" He said weakly.

"You think?" Roadblock snapped. He looked up. Several crates and former obstacles were on fire. There was a huge wall in the motor pool hanger. The large obstacle course was destroyed. There was mud and debris everywhere. And several Joes were hanging for their very lives on top of roofs, ladders and other various objects. 

Roadblock surveyed the damage. "Oh lord," He covered his hands with his eyes. 

Thirty minutes later…

"In here!" Roadblock ordered. Todd dejectedly entered the room. It was crammed with potatoes. Nearly wall to wall. "Sit over there!" 

Todd sat down at a small stool. He didn't need to be told what his punishment was. He picked up a small pairing knife and started to peel a potato. 

"Don't take potatoes from over there!" Roadblock ordered. He sat down at another stool. "That's my pile."

"Huh?" Todd was confused. "But I'm the one who messed up."

"We both messed up," Roadblock corrected. "I should have been watching you. If I had you wouldn't have gotten near that tank in the first place!"

"But…you don't have to peel potatoes."

"Yes I do. I made a mistake and I have to face the consequences. Just like you did."

"Oh…" Todd said, absently peeling the potatoes. "Well, as punishments go, this ain't exactly the worst I've ever had. I mean you could have…"

Todd trailed off, not saying anything more. For a while they sat together peeling potatoes in silence. "Roadblock?" Todd said.

"Yeah kid?"

"I'm sorry," Todd hung his head down. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble. You've been nice to me. Not too many people are. The last thing I wanna do is hurt you."

"I know," Roadblock's voice softened. 

"I can't help being a screw-up. I was just born like that."

"You are not a screw up. You're a kid. A crazy kid, but still a kid."

"Thanks for sayin' that." Todd shrugged. "You ain't like anybody else. I mean, I thought you would try to draft me or something. Usually people are only nice to me 'cause they want something. You don't."

"Not everybody's like that, kid," Roadblock explained. 

"I dunno. I still don't understand why you wanna help me. I'm amazed you didn't even cut my hair or anything. You know, being army and all…"

"Hey kid, I'm the last person to complain about other people's hair," Roadblock absently ran his hand over his shaved skull. They both laughed.

Roadblock smiled, "Listen, I know you're still figuring things out. What you need is discipline. Lots of it. But not because I'm mean. It's to protect you, make you strong, and teach you right from wrong. Understand?"

Todd nodded. "I'll do better. I promise."

"I'm gonna hold you to that. Now get the lead out! These potatoes won't peel themselves!" 

"Yes sir!" Todd made a mock salute.

Somehow all the potatoes got peeled. Although that still wasn't the end of Todd's punishment. Roadblock explained that he still had to work off the damage so that the next few days he would be put to work in the Joe's cafeteria. Todd didn't mind. Compared to how he was treated by Mystique and Magneto, he felt he was getting off easy.

The next day, after some morning's training, Roadblock took him to the cafeteria. There waiting for him was a short, bald man with a wild beard. He had a crazy expression behind his eyes. "Ah! Another lost soul comes to BA! Abandon hope to all ye who enter here!"

"Toad," Roadblock said, using his codename. "This is "BA LaCarte. The initials stand for 'Bon Appetit!' He may be crazy, but he's a good guy. You do what he says and don't give him any sass! Understand?"

"Yes sir!" Toad replied cheerfully. 

"Good Lord Roadblock I thought you said you were gonna feed this kid!" BA shook his head. "Toad is it? Hmmm. Well, leave him with me, Roadblock. I'll whip this kid into shape faster than I whip up a soufflé!"

"You've never made a soufflé," Roadblock said.

"Like I said, faster than that," BA shrugged. "Come on you, time to meet the other inmates!"

Toad was guided into the back. There were a few other Joes already hard at work. Toad recognized Cross-Country mashing potatoes. There was another Joe, a very tall black man chopping onions. Toad tried not to stare. They moved to the sink.

"Here!" BA ordered. "You get started with these pots!" He pointed to the sink. Already washing pots was a short man with tan markings on his face wearing a blue bandana. "He'll help you. Now hop to it!"

Toad nodded and went to work. The short Joe looked at him and asked, "Hey kid! What are you in for?" 

"I kinda wrecked a tank," Toad replied nervously.

"Is that all?" He said. "I put superglue in Beach Head's shorts. I'm Tunnel Rat! You must be Toad!"

"Yeah," Toad nodded. "Tunnel Rat?"

"I like tunnels?" He explained. "That's my buddy Big Lob over there. He accidentally set Beach Head's desk on fire. Yo Lob! C'mere!"

"Oh man, I hate doing onions!" The tall Joe bawled. "They make Big Lob cry!"

"This is the kid we heard about," Tunnel Rat told him. 

"Hey, nice to meet you," The crying Joe shook his hand. "Sorry about this! Oh man, I haven't cried like this since the basketball playoffs! 'Scuse me while I get a tissue!"

"He's sensitive to onions," Tunnel Rat explained. 

"Man, I thought my code name was weird," Toad shook his head.

"That's nothing! Wait 'till you hang around here a while!" Tunnel Rat said.

"Yeah, we got a Joe called…What was his name again?" Cross-Country said. "Oh yeah, new guy. Double Duty. I have no idea where they come up with this stuff."

"Hey Cross-Country about the tank…" Toad began to apologize.

"Forget it kid," He gave a friendly wave. "I shouldn't have left the key in the first place! Besides, not exactly the first tank wrecked in a joyride around here."

"Hey it's not even close to the record!" Big Lob told him. "Shipwreck's got that title hands down!"

"Who?" Toad asked. 

"Shipwreck is the saltiest sailor ever to sail the seven seas," BA walked in. "He and trouble go together better than peanut butter and jelly. Why I remember the time he mooned a couple of four star generals! Now that was nuts!"

"Hey speaking of nuts BA what are they doing in the Jell-O?" A voice shouted from the counter.

"It's called trying something new!" BA shouted to the unseen Joe. "I swear it's a thankless job cooking for you lot! Sometimes I wonder if I was better off where I was. What am I saying? No I wasn't. No one throws knives at me here!"

"BA used to cook for COBRA," Tunnel Rat explained.

"Until they left him at the bottom of the ocean," Big Lob said.

"Hmmm, I wonder why?" Cross-Country smirked.

"What's COBRA?" Toad asked.

"A terrorist organization run by a guy that makes Stalin look like a Boy Scout!" BA said. 

"Worse than Magneto?" Toad's eyes grew big.

"Ten times worse," BA's eyes darkened. "Pure evil incarnate. Never saw him in person myself, but I have known too many others in COBRA just like him. That horrible Moreauseau Island was one place I will never forget."

"What's that?" Toad asked. 

"Nothing," BA shook his head. "Forget I mentioned it. Now get back to work!"

"Come on kid," Tunnel Rat nudged him. Toad went back to work. He couldn't remember working so hard before. However he got caught up in his work and was startled by a noise.

"What is he doing here?"

Toad jumped and dropped the dish he was holding. It shattered on the floor. He looked up and saw a very angry Beach Head staring at him. 

"I…I didn't…" Toad stammered as he cringed backwards. He collided with a stack of plates on a table that also fell to the floor and broke. 

"You idiot!" Beach Head snarled, "Look at what you've done!"

"Leave him alone Beach Head!" BA shouted. "Roadblock put him under my command!"

"Just keep him outta my sight!" Beach Head snarled and stormed out.

"Man, did I screw up," Toad hung his head down.

"Listen kid, don't take all the blame," Tunnel Rat told him. "Beach Head's a jerk, plain and simple."

"Yeah that guy's ambition is the size of Texas," Cross-Country told him. "Unfortunately you just happen to have gotten caught in his cross sights."

"What do you mean?" Toad asked.

"It's like this," Big Lob told him. "Beach Head enjoys his privileges as part of the command structure on the Joes. He's right after Duke and Flint. Well one of them was gonna be that bigger apartment on the base you and Roadblock moved into. He was supposed to get that, but when you came along, General Hawk decided it might be more appropriate to let you two have it."

"He didn't take it well," Cross-Country said. "I just happened to be hanging around at the time and heard every word. When Beach Head made a stink about that section of apartments was for officers only, Hawk agreed and decided to promote Roadblock ahead of schedule. That really burned him up."

"How come?" Toad asked.

"See General Hawk decided to do a bit of restructuring in his command system," BA came over. "We had an incident a while back and the General wanted to take steps so something like that wouldn't happen again. Well he decided that instead of Beach Head being third in line, there would be a couple of other sergeants sharing the responsibility. Sarge is one of them, but he's off with the Renegades, so he doesn't count unless he happens to be on base at the time, which isn't that often. So Hawk picked two others. Roadblock is one. It's not like he wasn't gonna get it anyway. Beach Head's just having a hissy fit because he may lose his position."

"What are you talking about?" Cross-Country said.

"Haven't you heard?" BA asked. "Hawk's decided to review his chain of command. Beach Head may no longer be after Flint. In fact, Hawk's decided to pick the new fourth in command or possibly promote him or her to third."

"Her?" Tunnel Rat asked.

"Yup. It's official. Scarlet finally got promoted too."

"Oh boy. Beach Head and Scarlet get along like the Hatfields and the McCoys!" Cross-Country said. "Especially since he pulled some strings to steal that fifth in command position from her in the first place. We are gonna see some fireworks now!"

"So for the next year it's gonna be a race between Beach Head, Roadblock, Scarlet and technically the Sarge, but he doesn't count 'cause he's made it clear that he wants to stay in the field with the Renegade unit," BA explained. "Personally, my money's on Big Red."

"Oh yeah," Big Lob nodded. "No offense kid, but Roadblock isn't gonna get it."

"Why not?" Toad felt a little defensive. 

"Well," Cross-Country looked a bit uncomfortable. "He has…other things on his mind. That's all."

"Like me," Toad realized. "So he's not gonna get it because of me."

"Aw don't be so dramatic kid," Cross-Country put a hand on his shoulder. "It's more like he doesn't want it because of you. He ain't the type of guy to put his career ahead of people he cares about. Fact I don't think he ever wanted the job in the first place, so it doesn't matter. He's happy where he is."

"Are you kidding?" BA chuckled. "He'd be happier doing my job!"

"We'd all be happier if he did your job," Tunnel Rat joked.

"Funny Rat Boy! Fun—neee!"

"He really cares about me that much?" Toad asked in surprise. 

"Of course he does!" Cross-Country told him. "Now, I shouldn't be telling you this, but since you got here all he ever talks about is you. He worries about you all the time."

"He does?" Toad couldn't believe it. "Nobody's ever…I mean…He's a real good guy isn't he?"

"One the best," Cross-Country nodded.

"Well we can't stand here gossiping all day!" BA ordered. "We have dishes to do! Hop to it! Hey-up!"

Toad worked as hard as he could. To his surprise, he hardly broke any dishes after that. BA broke more. Apparently one of his hobbies was juggling as well as creative cooking. 

Later on BA sent him out to bus tables. It seemed easy enough. Until he collided with someone accidentally and spilled food all over that person. Toad looked up and cursed his bad luck.

"Why you little…" Beach Head shouted. Toad was terrified. He backed away. 

"I…I'm sorry," He stammered. 

"Not as sorry as when I get through with you! You stupid little freak!" Beach Head raised his fists. Toad bolted. He did not see Beach Head being restrained by several Joes. 

Toad ran wildly out the door. He reverted to hopping mode and raced around the hallways, as far from the cafeteria as he could. Suddenly someone grabbed him and yanked him into a darkened room.

"Quiet!" The darkened figure ordered as he clamped a hand over Toad's mouth. "Stay still." 

Toad trembled and obeyed. The figure quickly let him go and moved in front of him, closing the door. Toad nervously listened outside.

"He went that way Beach Head," the Joe said gruffly. 

When the noise died down the Joe opened the door. "You can come out now."

Toad looked up. He saw his rescuer for the first time. He was blond, wore dark clothes and red goggles that reminded him a little of Cyclops. "Come on," He motioned. "Better find a place for you to lie low until Roadblock comes to get you."

Toad nervously followed the man. "Thanks…" He said nervously. 

The man said nothing but nodded. They went outside. They walked for a ways until they came to a basketball court. To Toad's surprise he found Tunnel Rat and Big Lob there too along with some other Joes. 

"Found him I see," Tunnel Rat smiled. "Thanks for covering Low Light."

"No problem," The taciturn Joe replied. "Now you stay with them until Roadblock comes for you. Understand?"

Toad nodded. Low Light walked away. "How did you guys get away so fast?" Toad asked. 

"Oh we have our methods of cutting down KP duty time," Big Lob smiled as he spinned a basketball on one finger. "Wanna play?"

"Really?" Toad asked. "I never really played before!"

"Don't worry kid we'll go easy on you!" Tunnel Rat laughed. "You can be on my team."

Toad decided to give it a try. The first time he got the ball, he had slight trouble dribbling. But he soon got the hang of it. The next time he got the ball, he leapt for a high jump dunking the ball in the basket. Of course what made it really amazing was that he had jumped from the middle of the court. The others watched him in amazement.

"Oh my lord…." Tunnel Rat gasped.

"Michael Jordan just got some serious competition," Big Lob gaped. 

"I did it!" Toad crowed. "Did you see that? I…Uh oh…"

He looked and saw Roadblock coming towards the court. Toad hopped towards him. "Roadblock," Toad nervously said. "I didn't mean to leave the cafeteria! Really! I was good! I was! It's just that I…"

"Calm down kid," Roadblock knelt down and put his hand on his shoulder. "BA told me the whole story. It's okay. I'm not mad at you."

"I didn't mean to cause trouble!" Toad said. "I didn't!"

"I know. It was an accident," Roadblock reassured him. "Beach Head was totally out of line! Don't worry it'll be fine! I had a little chat with him and he's not going to bother you any more. Okay?"

Toad nodded. "You know BA told me that you were a hard worker," Roadblock said with some pride. "One of the best he's had in a long time."

"He did?" Toad couldn't believe it. 

"Uh huh," Roadblock nodded. "Now go back to your game."

"I can?" Toad's eyes lit up. "Thanks!" 

"Go on," Roadblock nodded his approval. Toad hopped back. After a while it was pretty obvious Toad's team won with all the baskets he made.

"Aw man," Big Lob grumbled. "He's on our team next time!"

"That was great! Can we do that again?" Toad asked.

"Are you kidding, the way you do lay-ups you'll probably spend all your free time on the courts!" Tunnel Rat said. 

"Goodbye guys! See ya!" Toad waved to his new friends as he left with Roadblock. "I really like those guys! They're cool!"

"That's good."

"Roadblock, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"What's Moreauseau?"

Roadblock stopped in his tracks. "Where did you hear that name?" He gasped in shock. 

"Some of the guys mentioned it," Toad shrugged. "But they wouldn't talk about it."

"With good reason," Roadblock's eyes grew dark at the memory.

"Why?" Toad asked innocently. "What is it?"

Roadblock paused. "A very bad place. An evil place. Come here."

Roadblock found a place to sit and motioned for Toad to sit next to him. He put his hand on Toad's shoulder. "Listen to me," Roadblock sighed. "You might as well know the truth. A few years ago, the majority of the Joes were sent on a mission. What we found…" He paused and closed his eyes at the memory. "There was a lab there. There were nearly a hundred people that were test subjects. Many of them had been mutated, mangled…"

"They were mutants?" Toad's eyes grew wide.

"If they weren't before, they had become mutants," Roadblock said. "Some of them younger than you."

"What happened to them?"

Roadblock closed his eyes again and shook. "Most of them didn't survive and those that did…didn't live much longer. From that day, many of us swore that we would not allow that kind of evil to happen again. Ever."

"So that's why you guys saved me," Toad looked at him. 

"It was the right thing to do," Roadblock told him. "I'm not going to let that happen to you kid. I promise. Come on now. Let's go home. Tomorrow you gotta get up early and help with breakfast."

"How early?" Toad cringed. 

"Five am," Roadblock told him.

"Ugh," Todd shuddered.

"Yes well maybe that will teach you to be a little more careful in the future," Roadblock said. 

"I don't think I ever wanna drive a tank ever again," Toad groaned. Then he got an idea. "Hey Roadblock? Could you show me the airplanes sometime?"

"Oh no…" Roadblock rolled his eyes. "Forget it!"

"I won't touch anything this time! I promise! Really!" Toad pleaded. "Please?"

"Lord give me strength," Roadblock put his head in his hands. 


	7. Exploring

****

Chapter 6 of Ronin Toad. Todd gets to know a few more of the Joes.

**Exploring**

Todd nervously peered around the corner. He had purposely snuck away from the training area when Roadblock left. There was so much of the base he wanted to see. And one place in particular he had heard about…

Making sure no one had seen him, he made his way to a small building on the base. He had learned about the G.I. Joe ninja dojo and was curious. He had remembered reading about ninjas in school but had never seen a real live one. He looked at it. It really did look like one of those ancient Japanese houses he had seen in pictures. Imagine, a real ninja dojo right smack dab in an army base. He had to see it for himself.

Todd silently crept into the dojo. _I shouldn't be here,_ he thought. _This is a bad idea. These guys probably eat little toads like me for breakfast._ But he couldn't help himself. He had to watch. He had to see.

His eyes widened as he took in the sights. He hid behind some boxes and watched the movements of two ninjas. One in black, one in white. As he watched their rhythmic movements he could not help but admire them. They were so graceful. They were perfection itself.

_If only I could be like them, silent, graceful…_He thought as he watched them go through their routines. _If only I could be like them! If I was, I would be invincible! I'd never be afraid again! I can see it now! Toad the Ninja! The most dangerous mutant that ever lived! Yeah, I can see it now! I'd kick Magneto and Mystique out of a jet and see how they like it! Then I'd trash the Brotherhood and the X-Geeks! Wait, even better! I'll create a gang of mutants of my very own and let them beat them up! Yeah, I can see it now! The Terrible Toad the Mutant Ninja and his Invincible Army! Why should I do all the work?_

Why stop there? With all that power, I'd create my own kingdom1 A secret world where mutants can live without being harassed. And I'd be the king! I'll have a place called Toad Hall or Toad Palace or something or other. And every mutant on earth will come to my court begging to be let into my army! A mutant version of Camelot! We'll play games, sing songs, trash the X-Geeks…Have wild parties every night! And I'll take in nearly every mutant I can find. Not just the strongest. No. I will find the weakest mutant and make that mutant my personal squire. I'll show everybody that the weak can be useful no matter what Magneto says!

Todd sat back and smiled as he closed his eyes, envisioning the future. _Yeah and when the Brotherhood and the X-Geeks come crawling on their knees to be let into my kingdom…I'll throw them out of a jet! Heh! Heh! Wait…Except for Rogue. She's too hot to throw out of a jet. I'll keep her, make her my personal secretary or something. And as for Duncan, I'm gonna make him my personal punching bag! No, better yet! My court Jester! _

Todd couldn't help but giggle to himself, imagining the fun he would have with his former tormenter. Then he felt like he wasn't alone. He looked up. Perched on top of the stack of boxes was the ninja covered in black from head to toe. He couldn't even see his eyes.

"Eeep!" Todd yelped in fear and quickly hopped away as fast as he could. He tried to make it back to the training area but realized that he had forgotten the way back. He hopped aimlessly, trying to find his way.

"That's a lie!"

Todd quietly hopped over. Two Joes were standing near a table in a room that had a couple of couches and desks as well as a big screen TV. What got his attention was a box of doughnuts on the table.

"Face it Wet Suit! The Marines can beat the SEALs any day of the week!"

"Dream On Leatherneck!"

Todd watched the two men arguing. Cautiously he crept closer and used his tongue to snag one doughnut at a time. Finally the men noticed that there weren't any doughnuts left. 

"Hey! You ate all the doughnuts!"

"No! You did!"

"You callin' me a liar?"

Todd quickly hopped away. He didn't think it was a good idea to hang around. He found himself in the corridors once again. "Now where do I go?" He asked himself nervously. He heard someone coming and ducked into a room. It looked like an office. He wandered around for a few minutes. For a moment he amused himself by making faces in the copy machine. Then he saw some cupcakes on a desk. He gulped one down.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Todd startled when he saw Beach Head and a red haired woman behind him. He tried to hop away but Beach Head grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "GOTCHA!" HE snarled. 

"Beach Head put him down!" the woman told him. "Now, Toad right? What are you doing here? Roadblock's looking all over for you."

Todd cringed as Beach Head let him go and made a fist. "Answer her boy!"

"Beach Head quit it! Can't you see the kid's scared of you?" She pushed him aside. She spoke to Todd in a much gentler tone. "My name's Scarlet. Don't be scared kid, just tell me what happened."

"I got lost," Todd shifted his body nervously. "I wanted to take a peek around the ninja place and I found it but there was this ninja all dressed in black and I got scared and I ...I…"

"Oh calm down," Scarlet shook her head. She took Beach Head's cupcake and gave it to him. "Here, have a cupcake."

"WHAT?" Beach Head shouted. "That's my cupcake!"

"You don't deserve it!" Scarlet snapped. "Besides you're gaining weight."

"He wanders all over the base causing chaos and you're rewarding him!" Beach Head shouted. "I do not believe this!" 

"Thank you," Todd said to Scarlet. "I didn't mean to cause trouble. I just wanted to see the ninjas."

Beach Head snarled, "Oh he just wanted to see the ninjas! Just wanted to watch the human killing machines! You are without a doubt the second most troublesome maniac ever to set foot on this base!"

"Second?" Todd asked. "Who's the first?"

"ALOHA!" A bearded man in sailor outfit walked into the room. He was wearing sunglasses and a lei.

"Right on cue," Beach Head groaned. "Shipwreck what are you doing back here? I thought you were supposed to stay in Hawaii another week?" 

"I was but then I missed all my wonderful compadres!" Shipwreck smiled.

"Translation: You all got kicked out again!" Beach Head rolled his eyes. "I'm not even gonna ask what happened this time!"

"For you lovely lady," Shipwreck placed the lei on Scarlet's neck. "In celebration of your promotion! I salute you!" He stood at attention, saluting her.

"She ain't in charge yet," Beach Head snarled.

"Not yet," Shipwreck took off his glasses and winked.

"I'm outta here!" Beach Head stormed off.

Shipwreck called out, "Oh don't go! I missed you sooooo much! Like a seal misses a killer whale." He looked at Todd. "Who's this?"

"Shipwreck, this is Todd Tolensky," Scarlet introduced him. "Code named Toad. He's the one Roadblock is looking after."

"Oh yeah. I remember hearing about you," Shipwreck pumped his hand. "Welcome aboard swabbie!"

"Hi," Todd said weakly. "You a sailor yo?"

Shipwreck laughed. "Why kid that's like asking a bald eagle if he's a bird!"

"Shipwreck is the craziest sailor you have ever heard," Roadblock came in. He did not look happy. 

"Hey you're the guy who mooned all those generals!" Todd spoke up.

"It's not polite to repeat gossip kid," Roadblock said sternly. "Or run off exploring when I turn my back!"

"Ah," Shipwreck looked him over. "Rude, totally without principles and nothing but trouble. I like that in a man. Come here kid, I'm gonna show you the best places to lie low when you get into trouble!"

"Oh no!" Roadblock said getting into Shipwreck's face. "Listen Shipwreck, I'm trying to teach this kid right from wrong! Around you is where he does not belong!"

"Roadblock you wound me!" Shipwreck put on a hurt face. "You know I am perfectly qualified for looking after the kid! After all my own…"

"Shipwreck what is this in my desk?" Beach Head's voice reverberated down the corridor. 

"Excuse me," Shipwreck began to sneak away. "Important business I have to attend to! Later kid!"

"Bye!" Todd waved. "I like him. He's funny."

"Oh lord give me strength…" Roadblock rolled his eyes. "Two of them on one base at the same time. And you, what were you doing wandering around the base?"

"I wanted to look around," Todd fidgeted. "I …I wanted to see…the ninjas."

"The ninjas?" Roadblock was incredulous. "You wanted…? Kid don't you know how dangerous that could be? Those guys aren't exactly the most hospitable people in the world. Oh lord don't you know what they do to people who snoop around their dojos? No I won't tell you. You have enough nightmares to deal with! You don't bother them, okay! Stay away! Okay?"

"I just thought they were interesting," Todd looked down at his feet.

"I find tigers interesting, but I don't go inside a cage to watch them!" Roadblock said. "Come on! Back to work! I see I'm gonna have to keep my eye on you at all times so you don't get into even more trouble!" 

Todd obediently followed Roadblock back. He didn't notice Shipwreck staring at them from afar. "Hmmm," He wondered. "Maybe…It might work. It would be a good match." He shook his head and began to formulate a plan of action. 


	8. Baby of Mine

**I own nothing…blah blah blah…I just had this sappy thought in my head. I thought I'd inject a cute little songfic to develop more of the relationship between Todd and Roadblock.**

**Baby Mine**

Roadblock lay back on the couch. He had just started the second chapter of the new mystery novel he had gotten when he heard a whimpering sound coming from the next room. He forgot the novel as the noise grew louder. That meant only one thing, the boy was having nightmares. Again.

Quickly he made his way to Toad's room and opened the door. The boy was still unconscious, covered in sweat, sheets rumpled from the tossing and turning. "N-No!" Todd cried out in his sleep. "Please! Stop! No! No more! Please!"

Roadblock shook him. "Kid! Kid wake up!"

Toad jolted awake, his eyes glazed with terror. Roadblock turned on the light in order for the boy to see where he was. "Todd! You had another nightmare! Snap out of it kid!"

Todd's eyes were still vacant, as if he was in shock. He whispered, disoriented, "Is he gone?"

"Yeah kid. He's gone. You're safe," Roadblock put his hand on his shoulder.

"Gone…" Tears formed out of Todd's eyes. "Bad…bad…"

"Kid snap out of it!" Roadblock shook him until Todd started to blink.

"Roadblock? What…? It happened again didn't it?"

"Yeah. Do you remember any more of it this time?"

"No, just the pain. The beatings. Always the beatings. But who did it to me…it's a blur. It could be Magneto, my father, anyone…every bully I ever met ganging up on me all at once for all I know," He put his head in his hands and trembled.

"Come on kid," Roadblock gently rubbed his shoulder in a circular motion. "Let's get you something. You'll feel better."

Todd looked at him with wide eyes. Even though he was a teenager, he looked like a very small child. "Could I have hot cocoa?" He asked in a small meek voice.

"Sure kid," Roadblock smiled. "I'll even put in a few marshmallows."

Todd shuffled behind him as he made his way to the kitchen. Roadblock was glad he finally got the boy a pair of pajamas that fit him. He joked a little as he made the hot chocolate in order to keep the mood light and to take the boy's mind off his nightmare. When he made the drinks they went into the living room to drink. Todd shivered as he drank so Roadblock draped a blanket over his shoulders. Eventually the boy finished his drink and started to relax. His eyelids were slowly closing, as if he were unable to keep them open any longer.

Roadblock shifted his position as the boy's head began to droop. He gently slumped his head onto Roadblock's shoulder, unable to support it any more. Roadblock moved a little more, allowing the almost unconscious boy to lie his head in his lap like a pillow. Instinctively, Todd curled his legs into a fetal position. His hands clutched the blanket around him, clinging onto it for warmth and security.

Roadblock sighed and looked at the sleeping boy, not having the heart to move him just yet. He gently ruffled Todd's mop like hair. The boy's natural amphibian smell lingered in his nostrils, but had grown softer in the past few weeks. Either that or Roadblock had simply gotten used to it. He studied the sleeping boy's face. Yes he was smelly. Yes he had almost no manners at all. Okay he wasn't exactly the cutest kid in the world. Or the brightest. Not to mention the fact that he was a hopping trouble magnet causing no end of trouble.

Still, Roadblock had to admit the kid had grown on him. Maybe because he was always trying so hard despite failing so many times. Maybe because he was so small and weak. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he couldn't deny it. He had grown to care a great deal about the little frog boy.

In the tired recesses of his mind, somehow a familiar lullaby ran through his head. It was an old Disney song that he had heard when he was a kid.

_Baby mine, don't you cry…._

Baby? This kid was no baby? He was fifteen years old for crying out loud! Roadblock had always wanted kids, but he was kind of hoping that he would get them a little younger. Yet, he was like a small child in so many ways. Actually immature would be a more descriptive word.

What they said…Everyone who Todd had looked to for love and guidance before had abandoned him. They called him weak, useless, a freak. And he believed them.

Roadblock knew he was this kid's last hope for some peace in this world. If he failed…His heart began to harden with resolve. That was not going to happen! He wouldn't let it happen! No matter what it would take. He would help this boy. He wasn't really so bad, he just needed guidance. He was really a good kid, deep down. He just never had anyone to bring out the good inside him before. No one had ever seen that, or probably wanted to see that for that matter.

Roadblock felt a protective feeling swell in his heart. True, Todd wasn't his biological child. He'd only had the kid a couple of weeks, but there was a bond there. He could feel it.

Softly Roadblock hummed the melody, gently stroking the boy's hair. When he was sure the boy was sound asleep he carried him into his bed and tucked him in. He sang the song to the boy, putting in a few alternative lyrics that popped into his mouth.

_"If they knew the real you, they'd end up loving you too. All those same people who scold you. What they'd give if they only could know you. From your messy hair to your webbed toes, you're nothing but trouble goodness knows. But you've become so precious to me, one day you'll see…"_

Roadblock gently brushed away a lock of the boy's hair on his face. He gently gave the boy a brief kiss on his forehead.

_"Baby of mine…"_


	9. The Call of Destiny

**Okay, now pay attention. I don't own anything really. This is an important chapter because a lot of stuff I write about later is going to refer to this one. I don't own the majority of characters you meet in this fic. But one or two are kind of my idea. **

**The Call of Destiny**

Once again Todd found himself near the GI Joe Dojo. It had been two days since his last visit. He tried to keep his promise to Roadblock, but he couldn't help it. Something kept drawing him back there. _Maybe if I'm really quiet, they'll let me watch,_ He thought. He snuck in and took a peek. A ninja in white was practicing his moves. _That must be the one they call Stormshadow._ He moved with silent grace and precision. 

To his surprise the ninja went into a crouching position similar to Todd's own. He crouched there, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. Todd had never seen a regular human stay like that for so long a time before. He snuck closer to get a closer look.

"Would you like to join me?" The ninja asked quietly. "It would be nice to have someone to exercise with."

Todd felt his heart nearly jump out of his throat. He didn't know how he knew he was there, but he didn't seem angry about it. He quietly skootched his way next to him and adopted the same position. He looked with wide eyes as the ninja then started to stretch. Todd copied him. Then Stormshadow began to move and perform a few kicks. Todd followed him almost exactly. Okay maybe he wasn't as graceful, but still it wasn't as hard as he had thought copying his moves. 

Before Todd knew it he was copying more complicated moves with ease. Then they moved from the floor to a pair of balance beams. _Hey this is easy!_ Todd beamed with pride. _I could do this all day!_

"TODD!" 

"Uh oh," Todd lost his concentration and fell flat on his face. He gave a weak smile to Roadblock who was towering over him. 

"Didn't I tell you not to bother them?" Roadblock fumed.

"He's not bothering me," Stormshadow smiled. "In fact, it was very nice having him. We should do this again sometime."

"Really?" Todd's eyes brightened.

"Yes," Stormshadow nodded. 

"You may have a point," Roadblock sighed. "The kid could sure use the discipline!" 

"Yeah, yeah!" Todd nodded excitedly. "I wanna do it again! I wanna do it again!"

"Okay," Roadblock gave in. "But you have to do whatever Stormshadow tells you to do without any arguments, questions or sass! Understand?"

"Yeah yeah," Todd nodded enthusiastically. "Anything you want!" 

"Well," Stormshadow smiled. "I could use help sweeping up the back."

"Oh I get it," Todd said. "It's like that movie where the kid wants to learn martial arts and he goes to this old guy to teach him and he ends up doing all these chores but it turns out that they were really martial arts lessons in disguise! That's what this is! Right?"

"Um….Yes," Stormshadow said.

"Cool!" Todd nodded his head rapidly. "Okay! Okay! Let's get to work!" 

"Okay," Stormshadow lead him to a back room. "You can start by sweeping out this area here. But be careful, there are some objects here that might be broken easily."

Todd looked around him. It was sparsely decorated with some mats on the floor and a silk screen. In the back was a small wood altar with various flowers and candles. It was on top of a brightly colored mat. "It's like a temple right?" He asked. 

Stormshadow nodded. "More like a meditation chamber, but yes."

"So how do I do this?" Todd asked.

Stormshadow gave Roadblock a look. He then casually picked up a broom and made a few sweeps. Todd watched him with intense concentration. Stormshadow handed the boy the broom to Todd who copied the motion exactly. "Like that right?" Todd said excitedly.

"Yes," Stormshadow said simply. Todd happily went right to work.

"Uh kid I'm gonna have a little chat with Stormshadow here," Roadblock walked out with him. "You just keep on working and don't wreck anything okay?"

"Yes sir!" Todd made an energetic salute. 

Stormshadow waited until they were out of earshot to speak. "I see that the boy is like a pitcher that is waiting for the water of knowledge to fill him."

"I know. You can say it," Roadblock sighed. "The kid ain't exactly the fastest frog in the pond. But he means well. And he tries hard. I dunno, maybe I should put more fish in his diet. It's supposed to be brain food."

"He's going to need a lot of fish my friend," Stormshadow sighed. "A lot of fish." 

Back in the dojo, Todd was vigorously sweeping, trying to do the best job possible. He was determined to be a good student at something. He didn't care if he had to sweep the entire base, as long as he made Roadblock proud of him. _This will go well!_ He told himself. _You will be a good little Toad and prove once and for all that you are not a screw up! You will do everything he tells you to do because it's all a part of the martial arts training. Nothing is going to go wrong this time! What's that noise?_

Todd pricked up his ears. He could have sworn he heard something. It was a cross between the sound of a chime and several people whispering at once. At first he thought it was his imagination. He went back to sweeping, but it happened again. Todd looked around. Where was it coming from? He took a few tentative steps around and realized that the sound was coming from the area of the altar. 

Cautiously Todd walked over there. It didn't seem anything strange. Then the noise appeared again, louder than before. He could almost make words out of it. He looked down on the floor and noticed that the mat underneath the altar was glowing. No, wait, something underneath the mat was glowing. Without thinking he moved the altar and the mat out of the way and noticed that the glowing was coming from under the floorboards. _A secret panel!_ He opened the trap door to reveal what was inside. The glowing and the noise stopped. Inside was a small box. Todd picked it up.

He looked at the box. It was a dark red box covered with all sorts of ancient writing. He picked it up and held it in his hands. Without warning it popped open, revealing a bright shiny stone. Actually it looked more like a round crystal. It looked like it had writing of some kind on it as well.

Todd didn't know what to do. _It's so shiny! But maybe I should put it back? Well, if I just look at it for a few minutes it won't do any harm! It's not like I'm gonna steal it. No just borrow it for a minute. I'll look at it and put it away when they come back. No big deal. _He reached out and gently stroked the top of it. Then he held it in his hands. 

To his amazement the stone glowed even brighter. It started pulsing as if it had a life of it's own! "What…?" Todd gasped as the stone levitated out of his hands and came to a standstill. He stared at it, floating in midair. 

Then there was a bright flash. Todd tried to cover his eyes but could not block out the blinding light. It then flew straight toward him and hit him right in his chest. Todd screamed as he felt a powerful current surge through his body. Then he collapsed into darkness. 

When Todd woke up he was lying flat on his back in the infirmary. Roadblock and Stormshadow were beside him.

"You okay kid?" Roadblock asked. 

"I feel dizzy," Todd moaned. "What happened?"

"You don't remember anything?" Roadblock asked.

"All I remember is finding this box and opening it and there was this bright light and…that's it," Todd shook his head. 

"I'm afraid you encountered one of our hidden traps," Stormshadow explained. "They were installed to protect the dojo."

"Oh," Todd felt very small. "I guess that means I'm not allowed back there now am I?"

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe you might benefit from some lessons," Stormshadow smiled. 

"Oh he needs lessons all right," Roadblock groaned. "This kid's got a lot to learn."

"I'm sorry," Todd lowered his head. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"You never do! You don't think!" Roadblock said. "Kid you could have gotten hurt or worse for all you know."

"Roadblock he wasn't entirely to blame," Stormshadow said. "We should have been more careful where we put that trap. We simply forgot about it. It was irresponsible to do so."

"Well," Roadblock softened. "You could use the discipline martial arts teaches." 

"You're not mad anymore?" Todd asked.

"Kid I'm not really mad at you," Roadblock explained. "I was worried sick. You have to be more careful! Well, I'm…willing to let it go this time as long as you've learned something from this. And the lesson for today is…"

"Uh…"Todd fidgeted. "Don't sneak around ninja dojos?"

"Bingo!" 

"Well that settles it then," Stormshadow said kindly. "Tomorrow we begin our first lesson. You will have to work with some of the others as well."

"I'll be there!" Todd sat up. "Thanks Stormshadow! You won't regret this! I'll be a real good student! I promise! Do you want me to go back and finish sweeping up the dojo?"

"NO!" Both Roadblock and Stormshadow said quickly. 

"Kid why don't you wait outside," He pointed to the hallway. "With Stormshadow I'd like to confide." 

"Okay," Todd nodded excitedly and walked away.

Stormshadow spoke to Roadblock in a hushed voice. "You realize this makes your task of raising the boy much harder."

"Tell me about it," Roadblock groaned. "That kid can't keep himself out of trouble for one minute! I'm sorry about this."

"Why?" Stormshadow said. "It isn't anyone's fault. It happened because it was supposed to happen."

"What are you talking about?" Roadblock puzzled. 

"You finding the boy was no accident," Stormshadow said. "It was destiny."

"Uh I hate to break this up," Bree came in. "But we have a little problem. We've got a code 22!" 

"Oh no!" Roadblock slapped his head. "Just what we need! Hey kid we need you to…Kid? Oh no! Not him too!"

"He really does need discipline doesn't he?" Stormshadow said.

"You have no idea."

************************************************************************

Todd wandered around the hallways, looking in the rooms. "I wonder what's in here?" He peeked in. "Hmm. It looks like a laundry room. I wonder if there are any stray quarters?" 

Todd heard a scuffling sound behind him. "Who's there?" He asked nervously. Something ran behind him into a pile of laundry. "Okay," He gulped. "Now…whatever you are don't….move." He carefully lifted up a rumpled towel to reveal what was hiding underneath. 

Todd could not believe his eyes. It was a small child, barely a toddler actually. He had bright blue eyes and a wild mop of black hair. He was wearing a tiny little sailor suit. But what made him stand out was that instead of hands and feet he had flippers. Like a seal. 

"Where'd you come from?" Todd asked, bending down. The little one merely blinked, curious. "Hey you're a mutant! Gotta be with those flippers! Hey yo, it's cool cause I'm a mutant too! Watch!" 

Todd did a back flip and landed on the wall. He did a few more tricks, scampering on the wall and ceiling before landing on the floor again with a flourish. "Ta Da!" 

The toddler giggled. "Oh you like that huh?" Todd smiled, pleased with himself. "Presenting the Amazing Todd the Toad! Mutant entertainer extraordinare!" He did more flips and bounces much to the infant's delight. He even did a few tongue flicks, switching on and off several lights and appliances. The child squealed even more. Todd picked him up and whirled him around. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM?" 

The next thing Todd knew he was knocked down on the floor and staring at the feet of a very angry girl. The girl was about his age with long black hair dyed with electric blue streaks. She was a head taller than him, wearing a dark blue tank top with jeans and a black leather jacket. She wore a pair of Chinese coin earrings; a shell necklace and black gloves with the fingers cut out, like Lance's. She also looked like she could take on Wolverine in a fight and still have enough for half of the X-Men. She had the little mutant in her arms and put him down. She balled her fists. "What do you think you were doing to him?" 

Todd looked at the girl; "I wasn't doing anything. This little flipper guy just snuck up on me." He cautiously stood up.

"That little flipper guy is my brother!" She snapped. 

"Toddy!" The toddler clung to Todd's leg. "Mine!"

"Huh?" The girl was confused. "Well I'll be…He likes you. He never does that with strangers. He's usually very shy."

"Well we ain't strangers now," Todd said proudly. "I'm Todd Tolensky. Call me Toad."

"Toad huh?" She looked him over. "Althea Delgato. Don't call me Al!" 

"Well you don't look like an Al anyway!" Todd said. "And what's your name little guy?" He peered at the little one.

"Claudie," He giggled.

"His name's Claudius," Althea sighed as she picked him up. 

"Cute little guy," Todd remarked. "Its' nice to see another mutant around here anyway, even if he is just a baby." He tussled the toddler's hair who let out a squeal of delight. 

Shipwreck rushed into the room with Roadblock behind him. "You found him?" 

Althea sighed. "Yeah, Toad here got him. Call off the Code 22." 

"Code 22?" Todd blinked. 

"Escaped baby," Althea explained. "For someone with flippers my baby brother is extremely fast. Maybe if **someone **was paying better attention to him he wouldn't get out so much!" She glared at Shipwreck. "I told you to watch him!" 

"I was watching him!" Shipwreck defended. 

"More like watching the football game," She folded her arms. "Just one minute while I got his bath ready. That was all I asked. One lousy minute."

"I told you I was gonna do his bath," Shipwreck glared at her.

"After the last time? You got soap all over the bathroom!"

"I said I wouldn't use that much bubble bath again!" Shipwreck rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah right," She folded her arms.

"Hey when Shipwreck Delgato makes a promise he keeps it!" He snapped.

"You have the same name as her?" Todd looked at him. "You related or something?"

"Well I am her father," Shipwreck smiled. "So I've been told." 

"Sheesh," Althea rolled her eyes. "Why is it always the cute guys are so dumb?"

"What?" Todd could have sworn he didn't hear that right.

"Come on baby," Althea picked up Claudius. "Bathtime. Wave bye bye now." 

"Bye Bye," Claudius giggled and waved.

"Hey see ya around Little C!" Todd waved. 

"You'll have to forgive my daughter for being so rude," Shipwreck told him. "I'd say it was that time of the month but unfortunately she tends to be like this longer than a few days. She just needs to work on her social skills with boys her own age."

"Daddy!" Althea glared. 

"Maybe you and her should hang around a bit more," Shipwreck continued despite the glare of death Althea was giving him. "She could show you around. You could hang around the house a bit."

"Da-ad!" Althea glared. 

"What?" Shipwreck looked at her. "You said he was cute? You never say guys are cute."

"Okaywegottagobyenow," Althea turned a bright red and grabbed her father with her free hand. 

"Oh for crying out loud it's not like I'm asking you to make out with the guy in your room!" Shipwreck told her as he was dragged out of sight. "OWWW! WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?" 

Todd and Roadblock stared at them. "Uh…Roadblock is it me or is Shipwreck kinda…"

"Yes he's a lunatic," Roadblock shook his head.

"Wait, how come you didn't tell me that there were other kids here?" Todd asked. 

"Well in the first place you didn't ask," Roadblock told him as they walked down the hallway. "And second the kids were with their father in Hawaii the past month. Trust me, I can't explain them. You just have to meet them for yourselves. That's all I'm gonna say."

"Are any of them mutants too?" Todd asked.

"Well, yes…" Roadblock sighed. "Look kid it's a long story so…let's just say you'll know the whole thing soon enough."

"Do you guys create mutants?" Todd asked.

"No they just happen to live here," Roadblock sighed as they went into the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. "It's a long story kid and it's not really my place to tell it."

"Kid pestering you about top secret stuff huh?" BA smirked. "Don't worry kid you'll hear all about it soon enough. Mutants, the dinosaur clones, the time we blew up a movie studio, secret societies of different races inhabiting the earth. The top secret alien spaceship underneath…"

"Ixnay on the aceshipspay!" Roadblock hissed when he saw Beach Head approaching them. 

"What?" Todd blinked. "What about a spaceship yo?"

"YOU TOLD HIM ABOUT THE SPACESHIP!" Beach Head snapped, overhearing their conversation. "Not even the Pentagon is supposed to know about that! So much for national security!" 

"Speaking of security did you know that Beach Head still sleeps with a teddy bear?" BA said. "His name is Sergeant Snuffles." 

"AGGGGHHHH!" Beach Head ran out of the room screaming. 

"Oh great," Roadblock groaned. "Hawk is definitely going to have a meeting with me on this!" 

************************************************************************

The next day Todd found himself at the Dojo. He was wearing a simple white training outfit with a white belt. To his surprise, Althea was there too. She was wearing a white training outfit with a black belt. She was also wearing her trademark black gloves. "You train here too?" Todd blinked.

"Yup. Hey um…" Althea said. "Sorry about before. It's just…Claude's so little and…well I thought you were making fun of him or something."

"Hey no sweat," Todd held up his hands. "You were just looking out for your little bro. I understand. No problem."

"Okay," Stormshadow came inside the room. "Now that you two have met its time for some warm-ups!" 

After they warmed up with some stretching, Stormshadow led them to a small ring. "Now I want to judge how your fighting skills have progressed Toad," He used Todd's code name. 

"So you want me to fight you or something?" Todd scratched his head.

Althea snorted. "Yeah right. You're up against me pal! And don't worry about hurting me since I'm a girl. I wanna good fight!" 

"Well if that's what you want then you got it," Todd snapped as he went in the ring. "I'm warning you, I won't hold back on my powers much!"

"That's the way I like it!" Althea laughed. "Bring it on!" 

"Okay sister let's see you handle this!" Todd leapt at her from across the room. He did a flip and tried to kick her, but Althea dodged him easily. He kept attacking, but she nimbly jumped, somersaulted and back fliped away from him. 

"Come on, is that the best you can do?" Althea smirked. "You ain't got nothin' boy!" 

"Hey I'm the Toad! I got style, character, charisma!" Todd smirked. Before Althea could react he did a flip and swept his leg under hers knocking her down. He tried to pin her but she easily rolled away.

"About time," She grinned as she flipped to a standing position. "Maybe this might last more than a minute!" 

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Todd crowed, just starting to realize they were now drawing a small crowd. "I got moves you wouldn't believe!" He attacked. 

She dodged. "Blah blah blah," She yawned. 

Todd shot out his tongue to grab her arm. "Hey!" Althea snapped. "I don't do tongue on first dates!" She used her free arm to grab it and yanked Todd towards her. Todd couldn't stop himself flying into her fist. On contact he let go and she pinned him easily. "Not bad, for a rookie!"

"Okay. Okay," Todd struggled to get free. "I give up! I give up! Let me up already! I give! Man what do you do? Train with the hulk or something?" 

"You go girl!" One of the soldiers cheered Althea on.

"Go back to the pond wart boy!" Beach Head sneered.

"Althea let him up," Stormshadow told her. "That was very good Toad. For a first try."

"Don't take it so hard," Althea helped him up. "I've been doing this since I was a little kid. Man how do you do that thing with the tongue and the slime?" 

"Dunno just do it," Todd shrugged. 

"Okay why don't you two take five," Stormshadow said. "I need to check on how these guys are doing." He turned to the other soldiers. "All right show's over. Now I want you Joes to practice your throws." 

Todd and Althea walked to the edge of the mat. They saw Beach Head stretching. "What do you want you little troll?" He hissed when he saw Todd looking at him.

"Can I see your teddy bear sometime?" Todd asked innocently. "I used to have a stuffed frog. I miss it. I couldn't sleep without it either."

"Go away you ugly little wart farm," Beach Head snarled. 

Todd glared at him and walked outside. "Just trying to be nice," He grumbled underneath his breath. He leaned against a nearby tree and watched the other soldiers training. _He had to throw that in my face! Like I don't know how I look! Okay I can handle losing to a chick who's cute, but he didn't have to point out the obvious! Who am I kidding? It's not like she'd go out with me or anything. Not when she sees guys like this all the time!_ He watched the soldiers with their perfect bodies and features before him. _Oh yeah. What could she ever see in a guy like me?_

Althea came out with an amused look on her face. "What's wrong with you? For somebody who never did martial arts before, you did great. So what's wrong?"

"Nothin' I'm just…" Todd sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," She said wryly. Then she looked back at the soldiers. "Wait a minute, is this about what that jerk Beach Head said about how you look?"

"Well," Todd played with his fingers. "I ain't exactly called Toad because of my good looks now ain't I?"

"What's wrong with the way you look?" Althea stared at him.

Todd looked at her. "You don't think I'm…ugly?" 

"Ugly?" She looked shocked. "Please! So what if you don't have perfect chins and rippling abs and stuff! You got style, character, charisma!" 

"Yeah," Todd blushed a little. "You don't have to say that you know."

"You accusing me of lying?" She glared at him. 

"No no!" Todd held up his hands. "I just…well…um…"

She looked at him. "You really think you're ugly don't you?" She sounded shocked. 

"Well I ain't perfect," Todd sighed. "I mean you…um…never mind."

Althea sighed. "You know Todd, you and I are alike in a lot more ways than you think." She slowly removed one of her gloves. She put her ungloved hand on his. Todd absently looked at it. To his surprise he saw that in between her thin fingers were a slight expansion of skin. Her fingers were webbed. Just like his.

It took a moment for realization to sink in. "You…you're just like me! I mean your hands!"

"Got gills too," She moved her hair out of the way revealing three delicate gills right below her ear on her neck. "I can breathe both on land and water. Could do it since I was born."

"You're a mutant too!" 

"Duh," She looked amused. "So is my brother and all of my sisters. We all have the same ability. My mom's one. But she had trouble breathing out of the water. It's kinda a long story. You see Todd, sometimes…not for long you understand…but even I feel a little…weird about how I look."

"But you're beautiful," The words came out of Todd's mouth faster than he realized. He blushed.

So did she. "Don't get me wrong. My dad's always made me feel special. He's really great with the mutant thing. Actually sometimes he does make me feel normal considering how crazy he is. And around here nobody cares that I'm a mutant. I've known most of them all of my life. But sometimes I feel a little…sheltered…you know. Afraid to let other people find out the real me." 

"Yeah I guess I can understand that," Todd nodded.

"So…you wanna go back inside?" Althea asked. "I'll let you fight me again."

"Okay," Todd followed her inside. "But I gotta ask you something."

"Shoot."

"So what's the deal with the spaceship?" Todd asked.

**So what do you think? Okay technically there was a character called Althea Delgato in the old G.I.Joe series. But she turned out to be not a real person (a synthoid). Let's just say I kind of brought her to life and gave her a personality! More on her origin in later chapters! Plus she has more surprises to come in the power department!**

Plus what really did happen to Todd in the dojo? What is his destiny? Is there really a spaceship underneath the GI Joe base? Will Todd ever meet Sgt. Snuffles? Some of these questions may be answered later. Or not. 


	10. I am a RoninToad

****

Disclaimer: I own nothing…blah blah blah…This chapter is basically an explanation of why I decided to name this series Ronin Toad (Other than I couldn't think of a decent name at the time I started this thing last year!!!) Hopefully some questions will be answered. Oh well maybe not. This chapter is in the form of a journal. 

**I Am A Ronin Toad**

**_Well I've been here for nearly two months now and I'm still alive. It's not so bad here. Roadblock keeps me to a pretty strict schedule. I guess he thinks I need some kind of structure in my life. After the tank incident, I guess he has a point._**

My life's pretty much routine now. I get up, do some exercises, basic stuff really. Eat breakfast, do some chores –mostly helping out in the cafeteria and doing dishes. After that Roadblock has me do lessons until lunch. After lunch I go to do training with Stormshadow for most of the day. After that I get a little free time. I get to hang with either Tunnel Rat and the guys or Althea: depending on what Althea has to do. She's cool. I mean for a chick and all. 

Then I do training with Roadblock until dinner. Dinner's kinda like training too because Roadblock spends half the time trying to drill some manners into my head. It's a losing battle for him. I don't mean to be a slob or anything it's just the way I am. 

Roadblock isn't a bad guy. I mean he's strict and all but after all he is in the army. Okay I mess up a lot, and he does yell at me sometimes. But he doesn't hit me or call me names and he tries to explain why he scolds me. It's the same when he's training me. But then he tells me what I did wrong and he shows me what to do so I will do it right. He really is trying to help me. It's not his fault that I ain't good at a lot of stuff. He doesn't quit on me. 

I feel like I'm learning to fight all over again. I will say this, I feel a lot stronger than I did before. Sometimes I feel more like a winner than a loser. I don't even feel dumb when I'm doing my homework anymore. Before I did enough to get by. Now I almost want to do better, if only to prove that Roadblock isn't totally wasting his time training me. 

I still have those nightmares. I think they're getting worse. Now they come at least four nights a week. Sometimes five. I don't remember everything about them. It's too hazy. All I know is that they drive me to the point where I cry out for Roadblock to take care of me! I know I act just like a little kid when I sometimes sneak into his room, but I just can't help it! When the nightmares come, I'm that terrified little abused, abandoned kid all over again. All my worst fears come to life and I have no control. I just can't stop until Roadblock holds me and tells me it's all a bad dream. 

What can I say? He's big and strong and kind and he makes the monsters in my dreams go away. Just sitting next to him makes me feel like I'm not alone anymore. I know it's stupid and I sound like an affection starved two year old but I like it when he comforts me and tells me I'm okay. I like to pretend he's my real father when he hugs me. He treated me much better than my real dad ever did. And I feel just like his own child. 

I guess he's the first adult I ever really trusted. I never trusted Mystique or Magneto or anyone else before. I believe him that he'll never hurt me. 

So that alone makes my life worthwhile here. It's really not so bad. I get some free time too. So I like to hang out with some of the soldiers. They are pretty nice, well except for Beach Head. But nobody likes him either so at least I'm not alone. They let me play basketball sometimes and tell me stories and stuff. It's neat.

But lately I've been hanging with Althea a lot at the dojo. I never went over to her place. I think it's because she's embarrassed about her old man and her sisters. She has three younger sisters: triplets and according to her they're genius lunatics. Althea's the oldest of five kids. Her mom was a mutant too. Well technically she still is alive I think, but from what I heard she ran off with another guy or something. That's kinda a sore spot with her so I never really asked her about that. 

Althea's the first girl I could really talk to as a friend. She doesn't recoil from me. I've never met anyone like her. She's beautiful and perfect…well perfect to me. I mean she does have a heck of a temper! And she's a bit aggressive when it comes to fighting. Not to mention she's pretty bossy. But I feel so happy when I'm with her. I can't explain it. When she smiles I feel so light and happy inside. I wish she would fall in love with me. Well…I can dream can't I? For now it's enough just being near her. 

For now it's enough not being in Bayville. For the first time in my life I feel really safe. Well I am living in a place where people carry guns and drive tanks but that's beside the point. I don't really understand why the Joes tolerate me. I know part of it's because of that Moreauseau place, but there's more too it than that. But I don't really care. Personally even if I end up working for them or something I'd do it gladly. They treated me with kindness even when the world turned its back on me. Of course maybe it's because they are kinda weird themselves…

Stormshadow explained that he was once forced to be a ronin: that's a warrior without a master. Usually that means samurai but I guess it refers to ninjas as well. He was framed for a murder he did not commit and was forced to work for these evil terrorists. I know how he feels. I was forced to be a part of the Brotherhood or rot in jail or on the streets. Seems like neither of us had a choice. We were both used by homicidal maniacs who just wanted us to do the dirty work while they got all the power and glory. 

**_The Joes don't own me. Roadblock made it clear that if I really wanted to leave I could and they wouldn't stop me. I have no master. I have no ties to either the X-Men or the Brotherhood. I'm free of both of them. _**

I am a ronin….


	11. Batteries and Babies

****

In this chapter of Ronin Toad we meet more members of Althea's family. Yes I kind of own the Delgato kids: Although the names are not mine! Althea's from the old GI Joe show, and the triplets…well you'll figure it out soon enough where I 'borrowed' their names from. But their characters are mine! 

**Batteries and Babies**

"ROADBLOCK!" Beach Head snapped as Roadblock walked the halls "I wanna talk to you!" 

"What is it now?" Roadblock sighed. 

"It's that crazy kid of yours. I saw him near my radio again. You know what he did?"

"Changed the stations from the Disney station to the hard rock?" Roadblock said.

"Nooo," Beach Head glared. "I saw him swipe the batteries from it. And from the electric pencil sharpener. And from a flashlight!"

"Why would he take batteries?" Roadblock was puzzled.

"Because he's a nut that's why!" Beach Head spat. "I told you he should be locked away!" 

"Look the boy needs to be with someone who will guide him an care for him," Roadblock explained. "Someone who will love him and accept him for who he is. Someone who will keep an eye on him every second of the day!" 

"He's a menace Roadblock! A menace!" Beach Head spat.

"He is not a menace," Roadblock told him.

"Hey guys," Cross-Country walked up to them. "Have you seen Mainframe? My game boy's busted!"

"Did you check the batteries?" Beach Head snapped.

"That can't be the problem," Cross-Country opened it up. "I…Hey! The batteries are gone! I could have sworn I just put new ones in yesterday!" 

"I'll have a talk with the kid," Roadblock walked away.

He went back to their quarters. He found Todd in his room putting something in his drawer. "Todd! I want to talk to you!" 

"Okay," Todd stood by his drawer. 

"What did you put in your drawer?" Roadblock asked.

"This drawer?"

"Yeah that drawer! Open up!" Todd did so. Roadblock could not believe it. It was filled to capacity with batteries. "Is this where you put all the batteries you've been stealing?"

"I didn't steal them! I borrowed them!"

"Oh so you borrow the batteries and put them all in this drawer?" 

"No," Todd took out a shoebox from under the bed. It was filled with batteries. Then he took out another one. Then another one. Then he opened up his closet and took out even more boxes of batteries. "I ran out of room." 

"There must be hundreds of batteries in this room!" Roadblock gasped. 

"Five Thousand," Todd said proudly. 

"Five thousand," Roadblock looked at him. "You 'borrowed' five thousand batteries from around the base?"

"Give or take a few," Todd nodded.

"Todd I think you and I need to have a little talk," Roadblock said sternly. "Now why are you taking batteries from everywhere and storing them in your room?"

"Because you and Psyche-Out talked to me about taking money and you told me it was bad for me to take money," Todd fidgeted. "You told me not to do it anymore and I haven't! I've been real good about that!" 

"I see…"

"I haven't taken any money I swear Roadblock! Not a dime!"

"Yes Todd I know."

"No money! None!"

"I believe you."

"Zippo! Nada!"

"Okay! I get the message! Now why is it bad for you to steal money? Tell me."

"Because…because you don't need me to steal money for you. You can take care of me without stealing money!" Todd looked at him with wide eyes. 

"I see…" Roadblock was stunned. "Let me get this straight, you don't take money because I don't need money. But you do take batteries?"

"Right! You don't need money!" Todd took some batteries out of his pocket and held them up to him as if it was an offering. "You need batteries!" 

"Okay…" Roadblock held his head in his hands. "I see your logic, flawed as it is. Just out of curiosity…why do I need 5000 batteries?"

"Because you can be prepared for when disaster strikes!" Todd told him. "There are horrible dangers in the world! A typhoon could hit us at any moment! What if there's a typhoon or something?" 

"Oh boy," Roadblock groaned. "Todd, I think it's time for you and me to go and see Psyche-Out. I think we should have another nice little chat."

"I did something bad didn't I?" Todd's face fell. 

"Oh yeah," Roadblock sighed. "And a bit disturbing. Let's go have a nice little talk shall we?"

"Do you want me to bring the batteries?" Todd asked as they left.

"No I think we'll leave the batteries here for now," Roadblock said.

"I put some in my pocket just in case," Todd told him.

"That's nice," Roadblock rolled his eyes.

************************************************************************

Psyche-Out later found Roadblock sipping coffee with Beach Head and Scarlet. "Okay I think he's figured it out by now," he sighed. "And it only took the two of us three hours to drill that into him." 

"I'm sorry I made those dents in your wall," Roadblock sighed. "I mean he just drives me crazy some times." 

"Well as least you stopped banging your head before you got a concussion," Psyche-Out sighed. 

"Only because you made me leave the room," Roadblock sighed. "Why did he do something like that?"

"I think the boy uses stealing to cover up some emotional issues," Psyche-Out said.

"I think the kid's nuts," Beach Head snapped.

"Beach Head I wouldn't call him that!" Scarlet said. "What did he do?"

"He stole 5000 batteries from all around the base for me," Roadblock explained. 

"Okay maybe he's a little odd," Scarlet said. 

"I've come to the conclusion, the boy has some major league confusion," Roadblock sighed. 

"Well," Psyche-Out sighed. "It's obvious the boy has a slight problem with stealing. Probably a form of kleptomania."

"PROBABLY has kleptomania?" Roadblock looked at him. 

"He's nuts!" Beach Head told them. 

"Todd is not nuts," Psyche-Out said.

"I meant you Spaced-Out!" Beach Head spat. "You counseling that little lunatic! That's a laugh. It's like the Mad Hatter counseling Screwy the Screwloose Loon!" 

"So where's the kid?" Roadblock asked. "You didn't leave him alone in your office did you?" 

"He'll probably steal the light bulbs next," Beach Head groaned.

"No, I thought you might want a break from the kid for a few hours so Shipwreck said he'd…" Psyche Out began. 

"Shipwreck?" Roadblock gasped. "You left him alone with SHIPWRECK!" 

"The Napoleon of Nuts if there ever was one!" Beach Head said. 

"I hope Althea's there," Scarlet said. "She's the only sane one in that family."

"And that's a frightening statement believe me," Beach Head groaned. 

"Well I suppose It couldn't hurt if I left him there for an hour," Roadblock sighed. "I mean how much damage could he do? Don't answer that." 

"Well you and I can have a talk later about his progress," Psyche-Out sighed as he started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Beach Head asked.

"I gotta go buy some batteries," Psyche-Out told him as he left. "Never know when disaster's going to strike."

Roadblock sat there. "Maybe I'll pick him up in two hours…"

************************************************************************

Todd happily rode in the army jeep. "It's real nice of you to let me come over," He said.

"Well you and my daughter have been friends for a while now," Shipwreck said as he drove. "It's only natural that she should have you over. Can't think why she hasn't invited you before. Here we are. Althea's having a chemistry lesson with Airtight but she should be home soon." They pulled into a small housing area. There was only one house. A medium sized gray building with a boat on cinderblocks in the front yard. "It ain't fancy, but it's home sweet home!" 

"Welcome to la Casa Delgato!" Shipwreck opened the door to the house. 

And was promptly tackled in the face by a parrot.

"AWWWK!" The green and yellow bird squawked. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? POLLY WANTS A PSYCHIATRIST!" 

"Calm down birdbrain I was only gone for fifteen minutes!" Shipwreck spat out feathers. "What did they do this time? Are they playing with explosives again?"

"Worse!" The bird cried out. "MAKEUP!" The bird then began to fly around the room wildly.

"Don't mind Polly," Shipwreck told him. "He has a nervous condition." 

"How do you think I got it living in this nuthouse?" The bird squawked as it flew around.

"That bird can talk?" Todd watched it. "Cool."

"Polly's a very smart bird," Shipwreck said. 

"If Polly was really smart, Polly would have joined the circus!" The bird screeched. "It's quieter!"

"GIRLS GET IN HERE! WE HAVE A GUEST!" Shipwreck shouted. He rang a large bell that was in the living room. The house was neat, cheerful and had a nautical motif in every room. 

Three ten-year-old girls that looked nearly identical came in. They were wearing identical cute little pink tops and nice blue skirts. They had neat long black hair and bright blue eyes. With the exception of their hairstyles, they were completely impossible to tell apart. 

"I'm Daria," The triplet with the ponytail on the right spoke.

"I'm Quinn," The triplet with the ponytail on the left spoke.

"I'm Brittany!" Cheered the third triplet with pigtails.

"This is Todd, whom you all have heard about," Shipwreck explained. The girls giggled. "Okay that's enough. Now what did you do to Polly **this** time? You better not have been using him in your experiments again!" 

"We were just playing house," Quinn said innocently.

"Oh lord that's even worse," Shipwreck rolled his eyes. He whispered to Todd. "The girls are very smart, but they tend to be a little hyper. Wait a minute! What about your brother?"

"We put him down for his nap," Brittany said. "And no we didn't use duct tape. We could never do that to our brother."

"You used it on your last baby sitter," Shipwreck said.

"That was completely justified and you know it," Quinn said. 

"It was Beach Head after all," Brittany pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Shipwreck nodded. "Look, I'm going to try giving Polly some Valium or something so he'll get off the ceiling. Why don't you show Todd your room and be nice to him! I mean it! 

"Okay," Daria took Todd's hand. "Come on!" Todd followed them into the oddest room he had ever seen. It looked like someone had taken parts of Dexter's Laboratory, painted them pink and shoved them in a cute little room filled with stuffed animals.

"This is our room where we sleep and play," Quinn told him.

"And do our experiments," Brittany grinned. 

"That's nice," Todd groaned looking around the room. He saw one picture on one of the small desks. It was of a blue skinned woman with black hair. "Is that your mom?"

"Yup," Quinn nodded. "Before she went away."

"She didn't die," Brittany told her. "Stop making it sound more dramatic than it is!"

"Our mom ran off with a guy from Atlantis," Daria said.

"You mean Atlanta," Todd said. "Like down south?" 

"No Atlantis, as in under the sea," She shook her head. 

"O-kay," Todd looked around. "So what do you like to…OW!" He jumped as he felt a shock through his body. "What did you do that for?" He grumbled, rubbing his sore behind.

Brittany held a small taser. "I wanted to see how well you conduct electricity."

"Hey! I'm telling!" Daria snapped. "Daddy told us not to use that on guests!"

"Yeah," Todd grumbled. "Yikes!" He ducked a small spurt of flame.

"Of course he didn't say anything about fire," She smiled sweetly.

"Oh you girls are wacko!" Todd gulped.

"His reflexes are good," Daria said. "Take a note of that Quinn."

"Sisters I believe that we must do further experimentation," Quinn spoke.

"Nobody is gonna do anything to me!" Todd yelped. 

"Maybe he wants to play with our dolly," Brittany picked something up off her bed. To Todd's horror it was little Claudius, dressed up in a pink frilly dress with bows in his hair. There was some makeup splattered on his face.

"What are you doing to that kid yo!" He grabbed the little one. "You tryin' to scar him for life or something?" 

"Give me back my dolly!" Brittany pouted.

"No way!" Todd held the kid up in his hands. "Come on Little C I gotta get you outta here!" He ran off with Claudius in his arms.

"Bring back our dolly!" The triplets cried out at the same time, chasing Todd all over the house. 

"What's going on?" Shipwreck shouted at the insanity. Todd held up the baby. "Yeesh," Shipwreck gulped turning pale. "Run kid Run!" He and Todd raced as fast as they could away from the triplets. "Quick in here!" he ran to a room and they went in, locking the door behind them. "I should have known! I can't leave them alone for one minute!" 

"Don't worry Shipwreck I'll fix it," Todd wiped off the makeup from the toddler's face. He then began to change him out of his outfit. "Don't worry Little C, we'll have you outta this in no time!"

"There are some outfits over there," Shipwreck pointed as he looked for something to bar the door with. "Ever since their mother…took off they've been impossible!" 

"Okay now that's better!" Todd admired his handiwork. "Check it out! Now Little C is stylin'!" Actually he was now wearing a yellow shirt with mini jeans that were too big for him. A baseball cap that was backwards and sunglasses not to mention some gold jewelry. 

"My son the future rap star," Shipwreck groaned. Claudius giggled. "Come here Claudie…" He took his son and started to fix his clothing.

"Where'd he get the name Claudius anyway?" Todd asked.

"Claudius was the name of a great Roman emperor," Shipwreck explained. "It was also the name of my great uncle who was a navigator on the Titanic. Let's just say disasters kind of run in the family. There we are," He had removed the chains and fixed the clothing. 

"Hey before I forget do you know your kids have a flame-thrower?" Todd asked.

"Oh no!" Shipwreck groaned. "I thought I got rid of that thing! Girls!" He handed Claudius to Todd and opened the door. "Okay line up! I wanna…AAGGGHHH!" 

Todd and Claudius looked outside. Shipwreck was covered with whipped cream. "Okay," Shipwreck glared at the girls who were giggling. "That's it! You are in for it now!" He strode off to the kitchen. He came back with a whipped cream spray can of his own. "Take that!" He sprayed the girls with whipped cream. 

"EEEEEEE!" The girls screamed and retaliated. They ran all over the house squirting whipped cream. Quinn started to squirt Todd. Claudius loved it and giggled with glee.

"AAKK!" Todd gasped. "Stop with whipped cream already! AGGH! Okay! I warned you!" He spat a small amount of slime on her. 

"DADDY TODD SLIMED ME!" Quinn cried.

"Well you shouldn't have squirted him with whipped cream now should you?" Shipwreck told her. "Get 'em good kid!" 

Todd smirked and spat slime on all three girls. "That's for the flame-thrower!" He put down Claudius and grabbed an extra can of whipped cream. "And now for the electric shock!" He squirted them with whipped cream. Soon it was a free for all. Claudius squealed with delight as he ran around getting whipped cream all over the place. 

"What's going on here now?" Althea came in. "Oh no, Dad what did you do this time?"

"They started it!" Shipwreck pointed at the girls. 

"I see you guys are settling disputes in the traditional Delgato manner," Althea groaned. 

"Yes well now that the silliness is officially over," Shipwreck reverted to a stern paternal figure. "I want you girls to apologize for how you treated Todd! He's a guest in our house! You should be ashamed of the way you treated him!"

"We're sorry," The girls apologized.

"Now first I want you girls to clean up this mess," Shipwreck said. "And I want that flame-thrower or any other little weapon you built right now! After you clean this up we'll discuss your punishment. Understand?"

"Yes sir," They said.

"Althea why don't you help Todd get cleaned up and hang out with him a bit?" Shipwreck said. 

"Come on Todd," Althea sighed leading him to the bathroom. She handed him a towel and he wiped himself off. "This is why I never invited you here!"

"They ain't that bad," Todd told her. "Hey back when I lived with the Brotherhood we used to do this kinda stuff all the time." Todd looked away uncomfortably. 

"You don't owe them anything you know," Althea said softly.

"I know that," Todd replied with a hurt in his voice. "But sometimes I still remember the good times, when I thought we were a family. I miss them and it hurts."

"Yeah I know how that is," Althea sighed. "Come on, let's go into my room."

He followed her into her bedroom. It was pretty average, with some teen posters of boys on the wall, a radio and CD's on a desk. There were even a couple of beanbags on the floor.

"I guess you kinda figured out why my mom left huh?" Althea sighed as she plopped down on one of the beanbags. "She didn't want anything more to do with this crazy family!"

"That can't be true," Todd shook his head as he sat in a beanbag across from her.

"It is," She sighed. "And we're not that nuts! I mean, we are, but in a good way. I mean it's not like my dad beats us or anything. Although I wish he'd give the triplets a smack every now and again! When all's said and done, he's a good dad." 

"Your sisters said she left for another guy under the sea…"Todd said gently.

"That was only an excuse," She snapped. "She didn't really wanna get away from my dad. She wanted to get away from…us." 

"Look if you don't wanna talk about it…" Todd started to say.

"No, I don't mind telling you the story. I'm just surprised you haven't heard it already, what the way the gossip flows around here." She sighed. Todd said nothing. He had heard the story but thought it best to keep silent. 

"My mom was once a Cobra soldier. She volunteered for some genetic experimentation. She was supposed to be an amphibious stormtrooper. But something went wrong and she couldn't survive out of the water. She got sick of being a lab rat and escaped. My dad and the rest of the Joe team saved her. For a while she lived on an island so she could be safe from Cobra. Well one time she and my dad got together and I ended up the result! So she married and moved in with my dad. They got a mini aquarium so she could rest and even figured out a way so she could stay out of the water for a while, other than wearing a diving helmet filled with water. Life was pretty good, I guess. Even when the triplets were born. She took care of us, did some missions for the Joe team. And then about over a year ago…well Claudius was born. Dad took his mutation well, but my mom…."

She sat silently. "It's not like it was Claudius' fault either! It's just the way he was born. Then there was this mission that had the Joes contact Atlantis…don't ask about the details they're classified. Well needless to say my mom ended up being a liaison to the Atlantean nation for obvious reasons. She met this rich guy and…."

"I think I can guess the rest," Todd sighed. "Why didn't she take you guys with her? Did you want to stay with Claudius?"

"More like she didn't want us," Althea snapped. "I heard her say that."

"But she must have loved you or something?"

"I thought she did too," Althea's eyes grew cold. "I guess she loved her new life more."

"Maybe your mom had problems or something?" Todd said gently. "Maybe it wasn't because of that. Maybe it was something she couldn't handle…"

"She couldn't handle being the mom of freaks!" Althea spat. "And she was a mutant too! I don't understand! Logically it should have been my dad that should have dumped us! But then logic's never been my dad's strong suit." She fought the tears back.

"At least your father loves you," Todd said softly. "That's more than my dad ever did. My dad didn't want me either."

"I guess we both know what it feels like to be dumped huh?" Althea sighed. 

"Yeah," Todd sighed. "And at least you ain't alone. You got your brother and sisters to keep you company."

"Some company," Althea groaned. 

"But you love them right? They make you feel less alone. And does make you feel pretty good bossing them around a little. Makes you feel important and that you ain't totally helpless."

Althea gave him an interesting look. "When did you ever get this insightful?"

Todd shrugged. "I dunno, I just get to thinking why people do the things they do. I mean you and your dad may yell at each other, but you don't have that tone of hate or malice or anything like that. Believe me, I know that tone. It's just you guys feel comfortable expressing yourselves. You don't hold nothin' back. You ain't afraid of him and he ain't afraid of you. That's how it should be between a parent and his kid. You guys really love each other."

"You know you're the first person I feel like I can talk about this with," Althea sighed. "I dunno, I'm just so…comfortable with you. Ever meet someone that even though you hardly know you feel like you can tell them anything?"

"Yeah," Todd nodded. He looked at her. "I do." 

"I really don't feel like talking about this anymore," Althea sighed. 

"Okay so tell me something else," Todd said cheerfully. "Like about that spaceship I ain't supposed to know about?"

"That's classified," Althea smirked.

"Then how come you know about it?" Todd snapped. "Aw come on! It ain't like I wanna go for a joyride in the thing or nothin'!" 

"Couldn't even if you wanted too," Althea said. "Can't fly anymore. Let's just say one of the other geniuses on the base broke it. Maybe someday I'll tell you more about it."

"Why does everyone around here know all the good stuff except me?" Todd pouted folding his arms.

"You haven't been here that long," She pointed out. 

"Hey kid" Shipwreck came in. "Roadblock's here!"

"Well there's my ride," Todd sighed. "I hope he's still not mad at me."

"No I'm just concerned about you," Roadblock came in. They got up from the beanbags. "I hear you had an interesting time here."

"That's one way of putting it," Althea sighed. "Hey I'm sorry how my crazy sisters treated you."

"Well Roadblock and I have been talking," Shipwreck smirked as they went to the front room. The triplets were still cleaning up and little Claudius was in his playpen happily licking off whipped cream from his face and flippers. "We decided that tomorrow you don't have to work in the cafeteria." He pointed to his daughters. "You three are going to take his place!"

"That's child labor!" Quinn snapped. Althea and Todd gave evil laughs. She made a face at them.

"Well maybe from now on when I tell you girls to be nice to our guests you will be!" Shipwreck said sternly. 

"Todd what do we say to Shipwreck?" Roadblock prompted him.

"Oh! Thank you very much for having me over to your house," Todd said politely.

"Well it was nice having you here," Shipwreck said.

"Can I come back sometime?" Todd asked. 

"Are you serious?" Althea startled.

"Come on down anytime swabbie!" Shipwreck nodded. He shook Todd's hand. "Say goodbye to Todd everybody!"

"Bye Todd," the triplets said as they left.

"See ya tomorrow," Althea said. "We got swimming practice! Remember?"

"I remember," Todd told her. "Bye!"

"Bye bye!" Claudius giggled. 

"So did you two have fun in your room?" Quinn snickered.

"Shut up plankton brain," Althea snapped. "We didn't do anything!"

"Don't bother your sister," Shipwreck told the triplets. "Besides, we all know Althea's not like that. When you three get to be her age, then I'll worry." He turned to Althea. "So he actually sounded like he had a good time today."

"Well he didn't run off screaming so I guess it went well," Althea sighed as she sat down on the couch. "He even wants to come back." 

"So you like him huh?" Shipwreck smirked.

"He's all right," Althea said casually. "Kinda weird. But okay. As a friend. Nothing more. I mean it's not like I'm attracted to him in any way."

"_Today I met the cutest boy," _Daria read from a purple book. _"His name's Todd Tolensky. He has these adorable yellowish eyes that are so wide and expressive! His codename is Toad. But he's so cute! I'm so glad he's a mutant like me! I hope we get to hang out more!"_

"Where did you get that?" Althea turned pale. "She's making it up!" 

"Someone's got a crush," Quinn teased.

"I do not!" Althea snapped. 

_"I had the best dream the other night! I dreamed Todd and I were getting married and…" _Daria started to read. 

"DARIA YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" Althea screamed and started chasing her sister around the room. 

Shipwreck held his sides and laughed. "Oh yeah. This kid will fit right into our family all right." 

"DADDY!" Althea screamed. Needless to say, the second whipped cream fight of the day was much more intense than the first one.


	12. We Belong to the Sea

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but crazy ideas. Time for another musical interlude. Here's a song by Aqua that fits Todd and Althea's relationship. Also, we learn more about them and I give Althea more powers and a code name! Yayyy**!

We Belong To The Sea 

The next day Todd met Althea near the port. She was wearing a one-piece blue and black bathing suit. Shipwreck was with her. "Now please don't cause any trouble today," Althea sighed.

"I'll be good if you'll be good," Shipwreck winked. "Hey! Toad! My man! How are you doing?"

"Hi!" Todd waved. He looked out over the ocean. The Joe base had a small seaport. "Wow, I never swam in the ocean before."

"Really?" Shipwreck was shocked. "Why swabbie there's nothing like it! Once the smell of the sea gets into your blood nothing can get it out! Ain't that right Wet Suit?"

Wet Suit was the Navy SEAL in charge of their water attack lessons for the day. "Nothing like it," He smiled.

"Yeah until you find another job you can be lazy at," Beach Head snapped. He happened to walk by and overheard their conversation.

"Hey! In my day I was the hardest working sailor ever to sail the seven seas!" Shipwreck snapped.

"You're nothing but a desk jockey now!" Beach Head snapped. "You gave up a life of action to lounge around a desk all day!"

"You know why I did," Shipwreck gave him a dark look. "At least I didn't do it to further my career!"

Todd and Althea gave each other a knowing look. Althea looked like she was going to kill Beach Head. Instead she got a wicked gleam in her eye. She saw a small canteen of water, and unscrewed it. To Todd's shock the water came out upwards and formed into a small ball. With a wink Althea aimed it at Beach Head and it hit him dead on. He glared at her, she merely whistled, feigning innocence.

"I know you did that you little…!" BeachHead shouted.

"Hey Beach Head," Wet Suit called, "Is that your jeep?"

"What?" He turned and saw it being driven away. "HEY STOP! STOP! WHO'S STEALING MY JEEP?" He ran after his jeep, which was driven away by a laughing maniac.

"How'd you do that?" Todd looked at her.

"I dunno," She shrugged. "I just do. I can manipulate water around me. Of course I can't just create a tidal wave out of nowhere, but when there's water around I can do pretty much anything with it. Create waves, make currents, etc…All that kind of stuff."

"Cool," Todd nodded.

"Well be good kids," Shipwreck waved. "And don't stray too far. Okay?"

"Bye Dad!" Althea waved as he left. "Okay, we're ready to go!"

"Oh put this on," Wet Suit gave Todd a strange looking metallic necklace. "It will block any mutant signature scanners just in case you go out of bounds." Althea was already wearing one.

"Mutant what?" Todd asked. "Like Cerebro?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "A few organizations have something like that. So we cooked up something that blocks signals from brainwaves or something. I dunno. Lifeline and the computer geniuses cooked it up. All I know that it protects you so you can't be scanned or anything. Don't lose it! We have some on the base but they only last within a few miles." He pointed out something that looked like a satellite dish.

"So that's why the X-Geeks haven't found you guys by now," Todd looked at it and Althea.

"The what?" Wet Suit looked at him funny.

"He means the X-Men," Althea explained. "Come on!" She was about to dive when she noticed how nervous Todd was. He stared at the water nervously. He looked so funny to her, wearing orange swimming trunks and a white sleeveless shirt. "You're not scared are you?"

"Who me? N-no I…"

"GOOD!" Althea laughed, shoving him in the drink.

Todd sputtered around. "Geeze Al why'd you have to…?" He noticed Wet Suit was staring at him. "What? What's the matter? I…" He looked down at his arm and screamed. Before anyone could stop him, he swam out of sight!

"Where'd he go?" Althea blinked. "Man I didn't know he could swim so fast! Todd! Todd come back! I was just kidding!" She dived in and followed him.

"Oh great now I lost both of them," Wet Suit slapped his head.

Not far from the base was a small-secluded beach. Todd came upon it and hid in the sand dunes. He was shocked at what he saw. His hands and feet had become more webbed, but what was worse is that his skin had turned into a pale shade of green.

"Oh man," Todd whimpered, looking at himself. "Now I really do look like a frog!" He quietly sobbed. How could this happen to him? Just when he was starting to get comfortable with his mutation this had to happen!

"Todd where are you?" Althea called out for him.

Todd started. "Go away!" He cried out in a panicked voice. "Don't look at me!" He closed his eyes and covered his face, hoping it would all go away.

'Todd! What's the matter?" He heard her come. He couldn't bear to see the look on her face. "Todd what is it? Todd. Todd. Look at me."

"I can't," He moaned.

"Yes you can now look at me!" She said impatiently.

He looked at her. His mouth dropped open. "You're blue!"

"Yes and you're green," She said in an amused tone. Her skin had changed to a blue color, lighter than Mystique's. "So your skin changes color in salt water too huh?"

"What?" Todd looked down at himself. "Is that what happened?"

"You didn't know?" Althea said. "In my case it's kind of like a chemical reaction. Not painful or anything. I just can't go to the beach in front of everyone else."

"Maybe that's the same with me?" Todd looked at himself.

"Come on!" Althea took his hand and laughed as she dragged him back into the water. They swam together in the deep water. Todd felt strange as they swam. He began feeling lighter, happier, safer.

Todd held onto her hand as they swam. He never felt so free in his entire life. He felt nothing but pure joy. They swam together in the deep waters, swimming through schools of fish. They swam around and around each other, letting the cool water wash over their bodies.

Todd didn't know what was going on. He never felt such acceptance and joy in his entire life from anyone. _Is this what it's like to fall in love?_ He thought.

Althea never felt so happy to be with someone. _How can someone so shy and timid be so wonderful?_ She thought. A rush of emotions overwhelmed her. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted to be happy with him. She never wanted to stop swimming with him.

They broke the surface together, sending showers of silvery water everywhere, glistening in the sun. "Watch this!" Althea waved her arm. Suddenly the waves grew larger and carried them both for a wild ride.

"Whooo Hooo!" Todd shouted as they bobbed in the waves.

Althea and Todd swam around each other in perfect unison. "I really, really like you Todd Tolensky," Althea blushed. She hesitated, then she kissed him.

Todd blinked, then blushed, the bright pink mixing with his green coloring. Tentatively he kissed her back. It was a perfect moment in time, just like a first kiss should be.

"I just realized something," Todd said. "I don't know your code name."

"Well that's probably because I don't have one," She laughed.

"No codename?" Todd looked at her. "That don't seem right to me yo."

"Well what would you call me?" She smiled.

Todd looked at her. "Wavedancer," He said. It was the first thing he thought of. "Cause of the way you use the water around you. You look like a dancer in the water."

She smiled. "Wavedancer, I like it." She took his hand and with her powers they rode the waves some more. After a few minutes she sighed. "We'd better head back. Wet Suit's probably having a conniption looking for us."

"I can't go back looking like this?" Todd whined.

"Why not?" She looked at him. "They've seen me like **this**!"

"They'll laugh at me," Todd said weakly.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Althea rolled her eyes. "If you weren't so cute I don't know what I'd see in you! Okay come with me!" She took his hand and they swam back.

They saw a small boat coming towards them. Todd hid behind Althea. She rolled her eyes. "Just duck underwater for a minute, okay. I'll explain the situation." Todd did as he was told. After a minute she popped her head underwater and gave him a thumbs up. Todd nervously followed her to the surface. Wet Suit and a few other Joes were there. No one laughed at him. One Joe sputtered, but Wet Suit elbowed him in the stomach.

About ten minutes later, Todd's skin returned to its normal pale color. Althea smiled as she held his hand. "See it's not so bad after all."

Todd smiled back. "No," He said softly, speaking more about his feelings than his skin. "It's not."


	13. Coffee Chaos and an Important Question

**Warning: This chapter was written after an unusually large cup of coffee and a heavy dose of flu medication. Hey it's me people, you didn't think this story was going to be all angst now did you? **

**Coffee Chaos**

The next day Todd was working in the cafeteria with Tunnel Rat and Big Lob. "So I ain't seen you around much," Tunnel Rat told him.

"Been hanging around Shipwreck's place lately," Big Lob smirked.

"More like his daughter," Tunnel Rat smiled. 

"Oooh!" They both squealed at the same time. "Somebody's got a girlfriend!"

"Shut up!" Todd blushed. 

"Get to first base yet?" Big Lob ruffled his hair. 

"Come on guys cut it out!" Todd was bright red now. 

"Hey you guys lay off him," Cross-Country came over. "Kid doesn't need you giving him a hard time now."

"Aw, we're just yanking his chain a little," Tunnel Rat said. "Come on kid! Let's celebrate! Hey give me a cup of that coffee!" Big Lob poured him a cup. Tunnel Rat took it and handed it to Todd. "Come on, have a cup of Joe with us Joes!" 

"I dunno," Todd looked at it and sniffed it. "It smells pretty strong."

"So it'll put hair on your chest!" Big Lob said.

"Really?" Todd's eyes grew big. 

"Guys I don't think you should do that," Cross-Country said. 

"Aw come on it's just a little coffee," Tunnel Rat told him. 

"Yeah what harm can it do?" Big Lob said.

Todd took a swig. And another. Immediately his eyes began to swim. He felt like he was kicked by a mule. He gasped. "WHOA!" He took another drink and began to grin.

Twenty minutes later….

"WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE?" Roadblock shouted as he surveyed the damage. The entire cafeteria was covered in toilet paper, whipped cream and paper napkins.

"Toad the Mutant Tornado," BA told him.

"WHAT?" Roadblock shouted. "WHY THAT LITTLE…" 

"Roadblock!" Tunnel Rat yelped. "It's technically not his fault. You see we just gave him a bit of coffee…"

"Coffee?" Roadblock looked at him. "By any chance this wouldn't be BA's coffee would it?"

"Um…" Tunnel Rat stammered.

"BA's infamous coffee?" He growled. 

"Um…" Big Lob gulped. 

"BA's Ultimate Eye Opener?" Roadblock stepped dangerously close to them. 

"Uh…" They said together. 

"BA's coffee that is so strong a single drop of it once drove an anaconda crazy?" Roadblock snarled. 

"Uh…"

"A coffee so strong a single cup can keep a man awake for a week?" Roadblock shouted.

"Um, looking back on it, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing we've ever done," Tunnel Rat gulped. 

"Ya think? How could you do that?" Roadblock grabbed his shirt. "That stuff makes adults wired for days! Imagine what it does to the system of a hyperactive mutant teenager?" 

"We didn't think he'd drink a whole cup!" Tunnel Rat yelped. "What harm could it do?" 

"YEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Todd's voice rang out through the halls. 

"I think the two of you are about to find out," BA said. 

Their eyes soon saw that the kitchen was leaking bubbles. They ran in and saw that the kitchen was covered in them. Todd was skating around with brushes on his feet. "Wheeee!" He crowed. Then he saw Roadblock and waved happily. "Look Roadblock! I'm helping to clean the kitchen!" 

"Oh man," Big Lob's mouth fell open.

"Well now Todd you are going to do some training to work off all that extra energy!" Roadblock told him.

"Cool!" Todd hopped up and down. 

"Yes you are going to the obstacle course. The really big one on the other side of the base," Roadblock told him. "And these two are going to take you and train with you!"

"What?" Tunnel Rat yelped.

"That's cruel and unusual punishment!" Big Lob yelped. Roadblock growled at them. "I mean that's gonna be a lot of fun!"

"Yeah I can hardly wait!" Tunnel Rat said enthusiastically. "Let's go to the obstacle course!" 

"Yippee!" Todd bounced after them.

"Kid take off the brushes first!" Tunnel Rat shouted. "You're getting soap everywhere."

"BA I'll help you clean up," Roadblock told him. "It's safer." 

Two hours later they were still cleaning up the kitchen with the help of several other Joes. "I can't believe one kid caused this mess," BA groaned. 

"Well by now most of the caffeine's out of his system," Roadblock said. "Nothing like hard work to take the fight out of a boy. The obstacle course should calm him down."

"THAT WAS GREAT!" Todd shouted as he came bounding in.

"You were saying?" BA looked at him skeptically. 

Tunnel Rat and Big Lob staggered in behind Todd. While Todd looked as fresh as a daisy, they were covered with dirt. They looked like they had been run over by a fleet of two-ton semis. 

"That was great!" Todd hopped up and down. "Again! I wanna do it again!" 

"But you've already done it 26 times already," Tunnel Rat moaned. 

"The obstacle course is destroyed!" Big Lob groaned. "There's practically nothing left!"

"I wanna train some more!" Todd shouted, jumping higher and higher, nearly touching the ceiling. "Come on guys I wanna train some more!"

"Somebody help us," Tunnel Rat moaned in agony.

"Well I think you two have learned your lesson," Sgt. Slaughter chuckled. "I think I can put that energy to good use!"

"Take him," Big Lob moaned. "For the love of god take him!" 

"ATTEN-HUT!" Sarge shouted. Todd came to attention. "So you wanna train some more eh soldier?"

"Yes sir!" Todd said cheerfully.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YES SIR! SEARGEANT SLAUGHTER SIR!" Todd shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Well I think I have just the right little exercise in mind," Sarge made an evil grin. "Take a look out that window. You see that mountain soldier? We're gonna climb it! Right now! With a nice light twenty pound knapsack on our backs! What do you think of that soldier?"

"THAT'S GREAT SIR! CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED SIR!" Todd shouted happily.

"Now that's the attitude I wanna see!" Sarge crowed.

"Sarge don't kill the kid," Roadblock groaned. 

"Don't worry," Sarge smirked. "A little thirty mile hike up a mountain's just the thing to wind his batteries down." 

Three hours later…

"Well the kid should be calmed down by now," Roadblock sighed as he waited in the lounge.

"If he's still alive," Beach Head snapped. "The Sarge will run that little punk into the ground! He'll be lucky if he has any strength left to crawl back!"

That was when Todd hopped happily into the lounge. "Wow I just had the best time! Mountain climbing is fun! Eh, Sarge? Sarge? Sarge? Come on Sarge get the lead out!" 

Sergeant Slaughter, the toughest drill instructor who ever lived staggered in. "Help me," He whimpered before collapsing on the couch.

"Sarge what did he do to you?" Beach Head yelped. 

"We up the mountain and down the mountain," Sarge moaned. "Then he wanted to race up the mountain. So I said why not? That was the biggest mistake of my life!" 

"I won the race!" Todd said happily.

"How could he win with a twenty pound backpack on?" BeachHead yelped. 

"You know those old cartoons where the skunk happily bounces all over the place without a care in the world?" Sarge moaned. "Just picture that skunk jumping forty-something feet and that's pretty much what it was like."

"That was great!" Todd hopped wildly about. "I love mountain climbing! Can we do it again Sarge? Huh? Can we?" 

"Maybe later," Sarge moaned. "When I find my lungs." 

"I never thought I'd see the sight I've found," Roadblock blinked. "Somebody finally ran the Sarge into the ground!" 

"I wanna train some more!" Todd hopped up and down.

"It's official," Sarge groaned. "I'm getting old. Time was a little thing like climbing a mountain wouldn't tire me out like this."

"Of course you've never done it with a mutant teenager hyped up on BA's coffee," Roadblock pointed out. 

"You have a point. Any of that coffee left?"

"I'll have some more!" Todd chirped.

"NO YOU WON'T!" Every Joe in the room shouted. 

"Aw…" Todd pouted. "So what do you wanna do Roadblock?"

"You're not tired?" Roadblock looked at him incredulously.

"Not yet," Todd shook his head. 

"Oh great," Roadblock groaned. Todd looked around and saw something hidden in a backpack nearby. "Now what do I do?"

"Don't look at me," BeachHead snorted. "He's your problem. Not my fault you can't control him."

"Hey is this your teddy bear?" Todd held up a teddy bear wearing a camouflage outfit. 

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" BeachHead turned red. "YOU WERE IN MY BACKPACK YOU LITTLE SNEAK!" 

"Let's play a game!" Todd hopped up and down waving the bear. "I've got Sergeant Snuffles! 

"ROADBLOCK MAKE HIM GIVE IT BACK!" BeachHead shouted. 

"Oh don't look at me," Roadblock smiled. "I can't control him, remember?"

"Come on Sergeant Snuffles let's go!" Todd hopped away with the teddy bear. 

"GIVE ME BACK MY TEDDY BEAR!" Beach Head shouted as he chased Todd through the halls.

"Well this ought to be fun," Roadblock chuckled. 

An hour later BeachHead was sobbing on the floor. "Please, please, please give me back my teddy bear!" 

"Toad," Roadblock decided Beach Head had had enough. "Get off the ceiling and give him back his bear."

"Okay!" Todd hopped down and handed Beach Head his bear. Beach Head grabbed the bear and glared at him. 

"So whatdya want to do now?" Todd hopped up and down.

Beach Head glared at him. "Why don't you go play in the minefield or something?"

"CAN I?" Todd's eyes went wide.

"NO!" Roadblock groaned. "Come on now, playtime's over. Let's go talk to Lifeline now shall we?"

"Okay," Todd hopped alongside of him. 

"Kid do you ever walk?" Roadblock asked.

"Sorry," Todd reverted to walking. "It's just comes naturally to me y'know." 

"I guess," Roadblock noticed Lifeline in one of the office rooms. "Now stay right there. Don't go too far…" He went in. "Lifeline do you have any knock out drops?"

"What?" Lifeline looked at him. 

"The kid is on a caffeine high," Roadblock explained. "Please, just something to calm him down. He's gonna run me down!" 

"Roadblock that's not a good idea to give the boy too much medication," Lifeline told him. "With his mutated metabolism it's not good for him."

"Please!" Roadblock pleaded. "I've tried having him exercise it off but it didn't work!"

"I know. I saw the Sarge and Tunnel Rat and Big Lob a while ago," Lifeline sighed. "Let me have a look at him."

"Okay kid," Roadblock came out with Lifeline. "Kid? Toad? Toad where are you?" 

"Oh no," Lifeline groaned. "You don't think he went to take a look at the tanks again do you?" 

"Oh lord," They both ran around looking for him. Then they heard an explosion and Todd's maniacal laughter. 

"You don't think…?" Lifeline gulped.

"Oh lord that boy and weapons are not a good combination!" Roadblock groaned. "If he's got into the rifles…"

"No," Lifeline looked out the window. "He's gotten into the missile launchers."

"WHAT?" Roadblock and Lifeline ran outside. Fortunately Todd was not alone. He was with some other Joes on the target practice range. Low Light, Flint, and a Joe named Sci-Fi who was wearing a futuristic green spacesuit like uniform.

"Fire in the hole!" Sci-Fi shouted with glee as Todd aimed the missile launcher. It hit his target perfectly. "Direct hit! And you say you've never fired a weapon before?"

"I'm impressed," Flint nodded.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" Todd laughed wildly.

"How did he do that?" Low Light blinked. 

"Easy," Todd told him. "I just pretended the targets were Magneto and Mystique." 

"Are you sure you've never done this before?" Low Light looked at him. 

"Nope," Todd shook his head.

"Gentlemen I believe we have a progeny on our hands," Sci-Fi said proudly. 

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" Roadblock screamed as he ran up to them. "There is no way that you are going to teach that boy about weapons!"

"But he's so good at it," Low Light protested. 

"Aw come on," Sci-Fi pouted. 

"NO!" Roadblock grabbed Todd and dragged him away. 

"Aw you're no fun Roadblock!" Flint pouted. 

"That was fun," Todd told him. "Can I blow something else up now?"

"NO!" Roadblock and Lifeline shouted.

"Lifeline…" Roadblock groaned. 

"Let's take him to my office," Lifeline said. "I have an idea." 

"I'll try anything," Roadblock groaned. 

"Okay Toad," Lifeline said as they went into Lifeline's office. "I want you to sit down in that chair right there and relax."

Todd did so. Lifeline placed his hands on Todd's temples. "Now I want you to relax. Don't be afraid."

Lifeline gently began to massage his forehead. To Todd's surprise Lifeline's hands began to glow. "WHAT? Are you a mutant too?" Todd yelped in surprise.

"Sorry," Lifeline shook his head. "I may have healing abilities, but I don't have an X-Gene. Technically I'm not a mutant." 

"Then what are you?" Todd asked, he was starting to feel calmer now.

"I don't really know," Lifeline shrugged. "I just happen to have healing abilities. Now relax. That's right. Just close your eyes and think happy thoughts…Just relax…" Soon Todd was snoring peacefully. 

"Thank you," Roadblock moaned with gratitude. 

Ten minutes later Lifeline decided he needed a cup of coffee. He went to the cafeteria and happened to meet the Sarge on his way there. "So you finally got the kid to sleep huh Lifeline?"

"Yes, things should be back to normal now," Lifeline opened the door. "WHAT THE…?"

There was water all over the cafeteria. A mini tidal wave was chasing Beach Head. It washed him away. "SHIPWRECK!" He screamed. 

"Don't look at me!" Shipwreck floundered around helplessly. "Blame BA!" 

"Yahoo!" Althea ran around wildly, skimming over the water. "I love coffee!" 

"Not again," Sarge whimpered. "Not again…"

"We really gotta get BA to put a warning label on his coffee," Lifeline groaned. 

************************************************************************

**Yes another pointless chapter that ran through my head. Don't worry more meaningful ones are on the way! Plus I am taking this opportunity to ask you the readers an important question: I have another new mutant in mind but should I include him/her in this story or in a separate Ronin Toad story? My ending is all set for this story. It's just the middle that needs work! I know where I want to end up; I just have no clue where I'm going! So should I do another Ronin Toad Story or just add the new mutant to this one? It's up to you so please let me know!**

_Lance, Pietro, and Fred storm out_

Pietro: New Mutant? What about us old timers here?

Lance: What about us? When are you gonna get around to working on our side of the story?

**I'm working on it! It's gonna take a while! I have a lot of other stuff I'm working on too you know!**

Pietro: Well get the lead out! 

Fred: Yeah we'd like to know what the heck happens to us!

**Look I'm just starting the outline now. I'll get to it…eventually…**

Lance: EVENTUALLY? Oh great!

_Principal Kelly comes out_

Kelly: Hey she still has to finish **my** story too you know!

Fred: That's going to take forever! Knowing her she's gonna draw that out until the end of the season! 

Pietro: Great. And she's got all those other short stories she's working on too. 

_General Hawk comes out._

Hawk: Yeah like some Joe stories! You said you were going to do more! What happened? 

**I'm working on it! I'm working on it! **

Hawk: Well work a little faster will ya? 

Kelly: Hey wait your turn! She still has to work on my story!

Hawk: Listen you pompous little twit I've been in her stories longer than you! You wait!  
Kelly: You can't talk to me like that! I'm going to be a senator! I can have your funding cut you know!

Hawk:  Oooh! I'm soooo scared! 

Kelly: Well you should be! 

Hawk: Yeah right. 

Kelly: That's it! We're gonna settle this! Right here! Right now! Put 'em up! _(Throws off his jacket and raises his fists.)_

Hawk: Oh you have got to be kidding! 

Kelly: Come on tough guy let's see what you're made of!

Lance, Fred, and Pietro: Fight! Fight! Fight! 

Hawk: You wanna fight tough guy? Fine! Prepare to be in pain, wuss! 

Kelly: Bring it on! 

Hawk: I'm gonna teach you a lesson about hogging the spotlight! I want to be in more stories! 

_Lifeline and Jean come out_

Lifeline: Stop it! You don't want to fight!

Kelly: Wanna bet? 

Jean: Stop it right now! You're grown men! 

Hawk: Boy she really is annoying isn't she?

Kelly: You have no idea. Yak, yak, yak! 

Jean: Principal Kelly! 

Kelly: Well it's true! Where were we?

Hawk: I was about to clean your clock! 

Kelly: In your dreams! 

Jean: Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

Lance: Shut up! 

Fred: Yeah nobody wants to listen to you anyway!

Jean: Don't you tell me to shut up!

Lifeline: Fine I'll tell you to shut up! 

**WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME CONTINUE THIS STORY?! **

_Todd comes out._

Todd: Hey Red! There's a couple of British dudes over there who wanna talk to you! Something about finishing their stories you've been working on for about a few months. 

**Oh god…not them too! I'll talk to them in a few minutes okay? Hey! Stop fighting you two! **_Hawk and Kelly are fighting. _**Cut it out! **

Lance: I got ten bucks on Kelly! 

Pietro: Fifteen on Kelly!

Todd: You nuts yo? Hawk will cream him! Twenty on Hawk! 

Jean: You should at least be betting on the guy from your own series! 

Everyone Else: Oh Shut up Jean! _They all start fighting each other._

**Due to technical difficulties this story is out of my control. I'm gonna go lie down for a while. **_Runs off to get some aspirin. _


	14. Ninjas Steal Paper!

****

This chapter is mostly pointless silliness in my head that needed to get out.

**Ninjas Steal Paper!**

It all started innocently enough. True, Todd was progressing very well with his fighting skills. In fact, the boy seemed to get stronger and faster with each day. Even Stormshadow was impressed with his performance. Todd could watch a technique and learn it almost instantly just by watching. And he was starting to improve in his schoolwork. It was his social skills that Roadblock was worried about.

Oh he wasn't intentionally rude or anything, he was simply just clueless when it came to table manners and polite conversation. And his spending more and more time with Althea and her insane family certainly was not helping things in **that** department. Not to mention his hanging around some of the soldiers in the cafeteria caused him to learn some very inappropriate songs.

Roadblock happened to confide his worries to General Hawk one day. Hawk was taking a break from his daily battle with unwanted paperwork and was more than willing to listen and help with any other problem he could. That was when Hawk had the idea. So really in retrospect, the trouble was his own entire fault in the first place.

"Why not have the boy work in my office for a couple afternoons a week?" Hawk asked. 

"Are you sure?" Roadblock asked. "What can he do?"

"Well he can help with simple filing and stapling," Hawk shrugged. "Simple things anyone can do. I could use all the help I can get."

"It's not that I don't like the idea you said, but what about Beach Head?"

"Don't worry, I'll personally watch the boy," Hawk assured him. "I think this would be good for the boy. It would teach the boy about protocol. And it will give me a chance to get to know the boy a little. I pride myself on knowing things about everyone on this base. This sounds like a good opportunity."

"Well let me think about it," Roadblock sighed. "I gotta go pick up the kid. Thanks for the offer." 

He went over to Shipwreck's house to pick up Todd. What he found was a total mess inside Shipwreck's kitchen. Todd was flinging applesauce at Claudius. Claudius was giggling and licking it off his face and flippers. "What are you doing?" Roadblock asked incredulously. 

"He started it!" Todd pointed to the baby. Claudius gurgled happily. "He threw applesauce at me first! So I figured…"

"I get the picture," Roadblock moaned.

"I don't know what you're so upset about," Shipwreck said. "It's more food than he gets in his mouth than usual. I think the kid's on to something." 

"Food!" Claudius giggled. Todd flung him some applesauce, which he relished. 

"Oh lord," Roadblock grumbled, putting his head in his hands.

So it was Todd found himself wearing a regular green private's uniform with hat and attentively listening to Roadblocks instructions the next day. "Now you be on your best behavior!" Roadblock instructed him. "Do everything that the General says! Remember, you are working for the government now so you must act accordingly!" 

"The government," Todd's eyes went wide. "I never thought I could do something like that before!"

"Well technically that's what you're doing," Roadblock sighed. "Now let me explain, you might think it's a little dull, but that's no excuse for acting insane! Understand!"

"Yes sir," Todd nodded. In Todd's mind it didn't matter anyway. All government work to him was paper pushing and stapling papers together as far as he knew. He didn't want to let Roadblock down.

"And don't forget to salute and say 'Sir'" Roadblock instructed him as they went to Hawk's office. Todd nodded enthusiastically. "Here we are."

"Roadblock," Hawk nodded. Roadblock saluted and Todd followed his example. "So this is the young man who will help me today?"

"YES SIR!" Todd shouted enthusiastically as he saluted again. "Private Toad ready for duty sir! I will follow orders sir! Ready to work for the government sir!" He saluted every time he said sir.

"Well I see he has his salute down pat," Hawk told Roadblock. 

"I've been practicing sir!" Todd saluted again.

"Um…at ease soldier," Hawk said.

"You sure you wanna go through with this?" Roadblock asked.

"Don't worry Roadblock," Hawk smiled. "It'll be fine. Right Toad?"

"YES SIR!" Todd saluted cheerfully.

"I think I'm gonna go see Lifeline and get some aspirin," Roadblock sighed as he left. 

Todd followed Hawk into the office. "Okay Toad," Hawk sighed. "I suppose the first thing that needs to be done is addressing and stamping those envelopes."

"Yes sir!" Todd saluted again.

"Okay um," Hawk said gently. "Here's how it works Toad. You don't have to always salute each time you say sir. After the first time, you don't need to. Just whenever you meet a new officer or when an officer leaves you salute. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" Todd saluted. Then realized his mistake. "Oops. Sorry sir. It's all so new to me sir. I'll do better sir!" He saluted again. "Oh I did it again. I mean I did it again sir!" 

"Toad!" Hawk sighed wondering if this really was a good idea. "Just relax. Take a deep breath. And breathe out…that's it. It takes a while. You'll get it. Actually these letters are already addressed, they just need to have the stamps put on and the backs closed."

"Oh I can do that sir!" Todd said. "I'm real good at that!" He used his tongue to lick three envelopes at the same time. 

"Well that's very impressive soldier," Hawk blinked. "Very impressive." He held up one of the letters. It was covered in slime. "Um…I have a better idea. How good are you at stapling?" 

Meanwhile Roadblock was having a talk with Lifeline. "So now Hawk's with him trying to teach him the basics of office work." He told him.

"You really think that's a good idea?" Lifeline asked. "I mean he might cause more trouble."

"I think Hawk can handle Toad," Roadblock sipped his coffee.

"I was talking about General Hawk!" Lifeline said. "You know how he always has to be nagged into doing paperwork. He might not exactly be the best influence on the kid in this department!"

"Don't worry," Roadblock said. "General Hawk is a responsible adult. He knows how to set a good example."

Ten minutes later….

"I hate paperwork," Hawk grumbled as he was pretending one of his pens was a rocket. "I'd rather be blowing something up. Huh? Toad!" 

"What?" Todd was making a paper airplane out of one of the requisition forms. Hawk walked over to him. Todd nervously smiled and cringed. 

"Give me that," Hawk took the paper airplane. "That's completely wrong. First of all the way you've folded it is all wrong. You're supposed to fold it like this." He demonstrated, then threw the paper. "See that's how you make a paper airplane. Now get me another requisition form." Todd did so and Hawk showed him how to make another kind of paper airplane. 

"Wow I've never seen that kind of paper airplane before!" Todd's eyes grew big. 

"This is what I call the B-29 Bomber," Hawk showed off by making it do loop de loops. "My own invention. The best paper airplane by far."

"I wanna make one sir!" Todd whooped. 

Back at the lounge with Lifeline and Roadblock…

"Maybe we should check on them," Lifeline asked.

"Nah," Roadblock said. "First of all, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet. Besides it's not like they're gonna cause a riot."

In Hawk's office….

"This is Bomber One to Bomber Two!" Hawk made airplane noises. "Come in Bomber Two!" 

"Roger Bomber One," Todd flew his paper airplane and made similar noises. "This is Bomber Two target in sight! Kapow! BOOM!" He scattered paper everywhere.

"Hit! Ye-haa! We got 'em!" Hawk scattered more papers as well. 

Later on in the lounge…

"It's been over an hour," Lifeline looked at his watch.

"Yes," Roadblock sighed happily. "So peaceful isn't it?" 

Back at the office…

"Look at the picture I drew," Todd showed off his airplane picture on the back of a requisition form. 

"That's nothing," Hawk held up a paper crane. "Origami."

"Cool," Todd admired. 

Back in the lounge…

"I mean the boy needs to learn what it means to work on a team," Roadblock said.

"Well I'm not arguing with that," Lifeline told him. "Hawk can teach him that."

Back at the office…

"It's mine! It's mine! It's all mine! HAAA!" Hawk laughed as he weaved and ducked around Todd. Then he sunk a crumpled up form into a wastebasket like a basketball star.

"Ten points!" Hawk shouted. "And the crowd goes wild!" 

"YAAAYYYY!" Todd shouted. Hawk took his hands and he and Todd danced around like they were playing some demented game of Ring Around the Rosy. 

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Roadblock burst in with Lifeline behind him.

"What happened?" Lifeline looked at the mess in the office. There were papers strewn all over the room. "Well?" He folded his arms and stared at them. "We're waiting? Who made this mess?"

"Ninjas!" Todd piped up.

"Yes!" Hawk nodded, "Cobra Ninjas! They snuck in here and started destroying the files!"

"There were so many of them!" Todd piped up. "They wanted to steal all the papers! They went K-WAHH! And Hi-YAA!" Todd made karate chop movements and more sounds.

"They were all over the place!" Hawk continued. "We tried to stop them, but there were too many of them!" 

"There were five of them! K-WAHH!" Todd cried out.

"Ten of them!" Hawk continued. "They threw paper all over the place!" 

"They wrecked the place! But we chased them off!" Todd said.

"We were lucky to get away with our lives!" Hawk nodded. 

"They're not buying this are they?" Todd looked at Hawk.

"No they're not," Hawk sighed. 

"Todd," Roadblock glared. Todd shrank under his gaze. "What did I tell you about making up wild stories?" 

"Um, that they should have good endings?" Todd said weakly.

"That's what **Shipwreck** told you," Roadblock snapped. "**I **told you it's wrong to tell lies!"

"I'm gonna be on kitchen duty tomorrow ain't I?" Todd said.

"Oh yeah," Roadblock nodded.

"Well Toad that's what you get for making up stories," Hawk whistled. 

"Begging your pardon General," Lifeline folded his arms. "But the boy had an accomplice in this!" He and Roadblock glared at him. 

"Well um," Hawk fidgeted. "You do have a point. I mean I am the adult in charge and it was my responsibility and all that and I should have stopped it from the beginning and…and….um…"

"AND?" Lifeline and Roadblock glared at him. Todd looked at him with big eyes. 

"And I have to face the consequences for my actions like any other soldier…" Hawk muttered.

The next morning at the cafeteria's kitchen...

"I thought I'd seen it all," BA shook his head. "This beats everything." 

"There's a sight you don't see everyday," Shipwreck nodded. "That's why I'm getting it on tape!" He held up a camcorder. 

Todd beamed at Hawk, who was wearing a hairnet and scrubbing the pots next to him. "The things I do for my men…" Hawk grumbled. 


	15. We Three Generals

****

A couple minor characters are mine, most of them aren't. You're smart enough to figure out which is which.

**We Three Generals**

It all began when Shipwreck received a call. "Yo! Oh hey Sid what's up? What? Are you sure? When are they gonna…? Oh man! Yeah thanks Sid! Appreciate it! Bye!"

He slammed down the phone. "Hawk!" He ran down to Hawk's office. "We got trouble! There's a surprise inspection coming this way! Generals Flagg, Bragg and Whithalf!" 

"WHAT?" Hawk shouted. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure," Shipwreck nodded.

"Oh great!" Hawk groaned grabbing the intercom and looking out the window of his office. "We are so dead! ATTENTION GI JOE BASE! THIS IS A CODE 101! REPEAT CODE 101! PENTAGON OFFICIALS ARE ARRIVING! THAT MEANS WE GOTTA PRETEND WE'RE AN ACTUAL ARMY BASE OR WE ARE ALL SCREWED! GET THOSE PENGUINS OUT OF THE POOL! PUT A TARP OVER THOSE PURPLE TANKS! THE POKER TOURNAMENT IS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! AIRTIGHT GET OUT OF THAT DRESS! MOVE IT!" Hawk turned off the intercom. "The kids!" 

"Mine are in the dojo today," Shipwreck said. "Don't worry. Stormshadow will keep 'em outta sight!"

"I'm forgetting something I know I am!" Hawk grumbled. "What am I forgetting?" 

"No time for that now!" Shipwreck looked through binoculars to the front gate. "I see 'em down the road! Here they come!" 

Surprisingly the Joes were able to hide their nonconformity pretty quickly. Then again Generals Bragg and Whithalf were not exactly the sharpest swords in the armory. Bragg was a pompous three star general that no one liked with the exception of Beach Head, basically because they had so much in common. Whithalf was a five star general who was a brilliant tactician on the battlefield. Off it he was as fierce as Mr. Rodgers and not even half as smart. Everybody but Beach Head liked him. 

The only general that Hawk really had to worry about was General Flagg. He was the only person at the pentagon who knew what crazy schemes the Joes got into. He often felt that it was his responsibility to keep them under control. As a three star general he outranked Hawk and could easily get the Joe team disbanded and sent to Greenland for eternity and everyone knew it. However, he was good friends with Hawk and was inclined to look the other way most of the time. Opinion on him was varied. 

As it turned out, there was a double purpose to this visit, not only was it a surprise inspection but the generals had many top-secret strategies to discuss. So Hawk found himself in the office before the conference room with Scarlet, Shipwreck, and Beach Head at attention. He was making polite conversation with them. Well two of them any way. General Whithalf had performed one of his famous disappearing tricks. He tended to get lost somehow at these meetings. He usually ended up in the cafeteria or the laundry room or some other less than dignified place. 

So while Hawk had search parties running all over the base looking for the missing general, he strove to hid his nervousness while conversing with the other two generals. However, a missing general soon proved to be the least of his worries. 

"I just remembered something," Shipwreck whispered to Beach Head.

"Not now!" Beach Head snapped.

"Where's Toad?" Shipwreck asked. 

"How should I…?" Beach Head stopped. "Scarlet, please tell me that today wasn't the day for the kid to be working in the office!"

"I'd like to but I can't," Scarlet gulped.

"Where is he?" Shipwreck asked. 

"I thought you knew," Scarlet said. "Didn't you send him on an errand?"

"No I thought you did!" Shipwreck hissed. 

"I didn't I thought you did!" Scarlet snapped.

"Oh great!" Beach Head moaned. "He wandered off again!"

"Who wandered off again?" General Bragg came up to them. 

Shipwreck thought fast. "General Whithalf, sir," he spat out. 

"Oh that idiot," He groaned. "Knowing him he's probably lost in the cafeteria again!" 

"I'm sure we'll find him soon sir," Hawk told him. 

"Unfortunately," Bragg muttered. 

"Ah here we are!" A booming friendly voice called out. A distinguished general with gray hair and a twinkle in his eye walked in. Hawk's jaw nearly dropped when he saw who was escorting him.

"Generals I'm sorry I'm late," General Whithalf smiled, greeting them in proper military fashion as he was escorted in by a young figure in military green private fatigues. "But I was having this delightful conversation with this young man. Private…Tonelessly was it?"

"Tolensky sir!" Todd saluted.

"Oh at ease private," Whithalf chuckled. "Quite a bright fellow."

"I must be getting old," Bragg groaned. "These new recruits look younger every year."

"Yes," General Flagg raised a discerning eyebrow. "He doesn't seem old enough for the army."

"Never too young to serve my country when called sir!" Todd saluted again. 

"Kinda short to be a soldier isn't he?" Flagg gave Hawk a glare.

"Uh height requirements were lowered last year," Hawk covered.

"Oh of course," Bragg shook his head, not willing to admit any lack of knowledge. "I'm surprised you forgot that Flagg. Alright girl come and get the coffee," He snapped his fingers at Scarlet. 

"What!?" Scarlet glared. 

_Oh no,_ Hawk thought. _She is gonna kill him and get blood everywhere and I am in such trouble…_

"Uh sir," Todd spoke up. "That's my job sir! I do the coffee sir! I love to serve coffee sir! I live to serve coffee sir!" He saluted again. 

"Quite right," Whithalf said. "Come now Bragg, this soldier has other more important duties to attend to. Come in private. Wouldn't want to deprive you of your duty."

"Thank you sir!" Todd saluted.

_I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in Leavenworth…_Hawk thought to himself as they went into the conference room.

"Uh sir is there anything I can do to be of service sir?" Beach Head squeaked out.

"Sorry soldier," Bragg nodded. "But National Security. You understand. Have to keep this meeting top secret. Okay private, you may serve the coffee." He nodded to Todd. Beach Head saw his career going down in flames as Todd went into the room, smiled and locked the door behind him. The Joes stared at the door in silence.

"Okay did what just happened really happen or did I just imagine it?" Shipwreck asked. 

"My career is over," BeachHead groaned. 

One hour later….

"My career is over," BeachHead groaned. "My career is over!"

"Calm down Beach Head," Scarlet said. "Maybe he'll pull it off."

"Yeah and maybe Cobra Commander will give up being a terrorist and sell toys for a living wearing a pink Tinkerbell outfit!" He snapped. "Why couldn't have you have served the coffee? Would it have killed you to serve coffee just this once? What am I saying? You would have poured the coffee into his lap before shooting him! I should have done it! Why didn't I think of it! Why couldn't I have thought of pouring coffee! AGGGH!" 

"What's going on?" Roadblock came in. "I heard some head honchos came in."

"Oh they're here all right," Beach Head groaned and pointed. "Right behind that door in a secret meeting discussing top secret strategies."

"How long have they been in there?" Roadblock asked.

"Oh an hour," Beach Head replied mechanically. He took out a bottle of scotch from underneath his desk and started to pour himself a glass. 

"You think that's a good idea with them in there?" Roadblock asked.

"Um…yeah," Beach Head replied. "I'd say the occasion calls for it."

"I think I'll have a drink too," Shipwreck said. BeachHead got another shot glass out.

"Me too," Scarlet sat down. Out came another shot glass.

"O-kay," Roadblock said. "Well I thought I'd pick up Toad. Do any of you know where he is?"

"Yeah we know exactly where he is," Scarlet said.

"Good maybe we can sneak him out before the generals find out," Roadblock sighed. "Where is he?"

They all pointed to the conference room door. Reality hit Roadblock rather hard. "Oh no…" 

"Oh yeah," Beach Head removed his ski mask and took a swig. "I have to say, I'm impressed. Just think, a few short months ago he was a lowly flunky for a homicidal manic mutant who wanted to take over the world. Today, he's serving coffee and listening in to some of the world's most powerful men discuss the country's most secret plans for protecting the entire world! He's come a long way baby!" 

Roadblock sat down. "You got another shot glass?"

Beach Head got another one out. "Oh yeah." 

Back inside the conference room, Hawk was sweating bullets underneath his shirt collar. _Thank God Flagg's not saying anything yet!_ He thought. _Lord please, please, please let me make it through this meeting and I will never, ever, ever do anything bad again so help me! _

"Now before we adjourn General Hawk," Bragg asked. "I'd like to ask you about this mutant school you found." This caused Todd's ears to perk up. 

"Professor Xavier runs a small school in New York where he trains mutants to use their powers for the good of mankind," Hawk explained, secretly noting the look on Todd's face.

"Hmph! The only good mutant is a dead mutant," Bragg folded his arms.

"Sir these aren't creatures created in a lab like Cobra does," Hawk explained. "They're children who just happened to be born with these abilities."

"Poor little things," Whithalf tutted. "I mean they can't help being what they are."

"We're monitoring them for now," Hawk explained. "I have some of my people undercover inside the high school they go to. We have reason to believe that Cobra is trying to infiltrate the school and use them for their own twisted means."

"Why don't we just grab those freaks and put them behind bars where they belong?" Bragg snapped. 

"Oh we can't do that!" Whithalf protested. "They haven't done anything wrong! They haven't have they?" 

"I don't see why not," Bragg snapped. "Fortunately very few people know about those freaks that walk the earth. The fewer the better!" 

"No thanks to you," Hawk muttered underneath his breath. 

"What?" Bragg asked.

"I said that's true," Hawk covered. 

"Reminds me of that blasted Moreausseau incident," Bragg huffed. "Good thing we wiped out the survivors."

"You wiped out those survivors!" Hawk shouted. "They were only civilians! They were sick and dying and you…" He stopped when he saw the shocked look on Todd's face. 

"Only cause your men were too gutless to do their job!" Bragg snapped. 

"I must confess I never understood why you ordered their deaths either Bragg," Whithalf said softly. "There was no reason for it. They were no threat."

"They had to be eliminated before they became a threat!" Bragg snapped and slammed his fist onto the table. "They were too useless to experiment on. They would have been terminated anyway. I'm sick of justifying myself to all of you. The board cleared me."

"Yes mass genocide doesn't seem to go well with public opinion does it?" Flagg glared at him. 

"There were only fourteen of them, hardly genocide," Bragg shrugged.

"Only fourteen…only…" Hawk's voice rose in anger. 

"Careful Hawk," Bragg snapped. "I outrank you. I could…"

"Gentlemen," Flagg stated. "This discussion is irrelevant."

"I don't know," Whithalf sniffed. "If Bragg here decides on his own to bomb the entire town of Bayville just to eliminate a few children it could become very relevant! Wouldn't be the first time he's done it."

"Now just wait a minute you half witted…"Bragg snarled.

"Quiet Bragg!" Whithalf snapped. "**I** outrank you! Remember? Let's get back to the subject. I'm sure Hawk here has the situation in hand. With him at least we know the students will stay alive."

"Hmph! Too soft!" Bragg snapped. "Of course you even have a couple muties living on your base now do you General? Those Delgato brats! That eldest girl, stuck up little ------. Should be in a lab someplace instead of running around free! What the?" 

Todd dropped a cup of coffee in shock. He dropped to his knees to clean it up, shaking. The cruel words lingered in his mind. How could anyone say such horrible things about Althea? Here he was serving coffee to this…monster? 

"He's in shock at your language!" Whithalf's voice brought him back to reality. 

"He's very new," Hawk covered. 

"Well he has to learn the facts sometime," Bragg huffed. "You agree with me don't you boy? Those sneaky mutants are nothing but trouble. Deadly if left unchecked. Am I right?"

"Oh yes sir," Todd spoke in a monotone as he rose. "You can never tell when one of those sneaky mutants will turn up." Then he made an evil grin. He turned around with his back to them and extended his tongue. He dipped it in one of the coffee cups, allowing generous amounts of slime to mix with it. He handed it to Bragg. "More coffee sir?"

"Don't mind if I do," He took a generous swig from it. 

Although neither Bragg nor Whithalf witnessed this, both Hawk and Flagg saw the whole thing due to the reflection in the mirror on the room's wall. Flagg's jaw nearly dropped. 

"Um, how's the coffee general?" Hawk gulped.

"Good. I'd say it was the best cup yet," He nodded. 

"That's nice," Hawk gulped. "So meeting adjourned?"

"Good idea," Flagg nodded. 

"I need one more coffee for the road," Bragg said. "Private I want you to make it exactly as you did before."

Todd just realized that Flagg had spotted him. Flagg looked at him straight in the eye. "Well you heard the man," Flagg made a small grin. "Do what he wants."

Todd grinned back and did so, unobserved by the other two generals.

A few minutes later back outside the conference room. 

"I go to Greenland," BeachHead was picking petals off a flower. "I go to jail. I go to Greenland. I go to jail. I go to Greenland…Oh who am I kidding? I'm headed for the Big House!" 

"You are not going to the Big House," Roadblock sighed. 

"You bet I'm not!" BeachHead snapped. "Maybe if I confess, tell them everything and maybe I can make a deal or something!"

"Oh no you don't!" Shipwreck snapped. 

"Try and stop me!" BeachHead headed for the conference room.

"Oh you bet I will!" Shipwreck tackled him. Soon they were both rolling around fighting. 

"STOP IT!" Roadblock and Scarlet tried to pull them apart. Soon it was a free for all melee. 

The conference door opened. 

In record time they untangled themselves and stood at attention just before the first person stepped out. The generals seemed to be having a genial time nodding and talking as they walked past them.

"They're smiling!" Shipwreck whispered to the others. 

"Smiling's good," BeachHead gulped. 

"Maybe he did pull it off?" Scarlet said. 

"Generals why don't you go ahead," Flagg called to the others. He looked at Todd who was cringing in the back. "I'd just like to go over a few things with General Hawk."

When the generals left Flagg walked over to Todd. Todd smiled nervously and saluted. "Interesting technique soldier," Flagg said. "I'm gonna let this slide, for now. But I'm gonna be watching you. General Hawk, I think we need to have a little discussion."

"My office?" Hawk asked.

"Oh yes," Flagg nodded as they walked away.

The remaining soldiers looked at Todd. "What did you do?" BeachHead snapped. 

"I knew it was too good to be true," Roadblock groaned. 

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" BeachHead advanced on Todd. 

"Back off!" Roadblock put himself between them. He looked at Todd. "Well?"

"I…I slimed General Bragg's coffee," Todd gulped. "But only Flagg and Hawk saw me!" 

"YOU DID WHAT?" Beach Head looked like he was going to have a heart attack. 

"You slimed Bragg's coffee?" Shipwreck yelped. 

"I had too!" Todd protested. "He said bad things about mutants! He called Althea a bad name!"

"What? What did he say?" Shipwreck asked.

"I can't say it out loud," Todd shuffled his feet. "It was really bad."

"So whisper it then," Shipwreck told him. Sheepishly, Todd did so. Shipwreck's face grew red.

"AND YOU ONLY SLIMED HIS COFFEE?" Shipwreck screamed. 

Back in Hawk's office….

"Well Hawk," Flagg shook his head. "I thought I'd seen everything. I mean you and your team have pulled some pretty bizarre stunts. But I think this one has become my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it was worth it to see Bragg drink the coffee…"

"An explanation is probably overdue," Hawk sighed.

"You think?" Flagg snapped. "Okay, from the beginning. Who or what is Private Tolensky, if he is a private?"

"He's only 15," Hawk told him. "And yes, he is a mutant."

"I figured that part out!" Flagg told him. "So where did you get him?"

Hawk gulped. "Maybe you'd better sit down…" 

Back in Roadblock's apartment…

"Roadblock I couldn't help it!" Todd pleaded. "I heard what he said, and how he killed those mutants you told me about! Why didn't you tell me the army had them killed? And when he said that…that…word about Althea I just snapped! I couldn't just take it! I couldn't!" 

"Calm down boy!" Roadblock snapped. Then he adopted a softer tone. "Look, I couldn't tell you about what happened because…well let's just say I didn't want you to hate humans. And it wasn't the army that killed them; it was Bragg's personal little firing squad of elite commandos that did it. Hawk was ordered to turn them over for medical treatment. He had no idea Bragg's idea of medical treatment was to…" He didn't say anything more. 

"There was a cover up wasn't there?" Todd asked. 

"Hawk tried to bring him down," Roadblock sighed. "He's still trying. But Bragg's got too much influence around Washington DC. Wouldn't surprise me if he was blackmailing some of them. Which is why you can't take risks like that! You were lucky that Flagg hates him as much as Hawk does!"

"I got Hawk in trouble didn't I?" Todd's eyes grew big and sad. "I didn't mean too!"

"Well what's done is done," Roadblock sighed. "Look for what it's worth, I understand why you did it. Hell, if I was in your position, I'd have probably done the same thing." He sat next to Todd on the couch. "But you have to be careful around other people. Especially non-Joes! Understand?" 

"Are they gonna take me away?" Todd started shaking.

"No," Roadblock hugged him. "I'd never let them do that to you. I promise. Now, I'll find out what happened, but knowing Flagg nothing much will come out of this. Why don't you do some homework, okay?"

"Okay," Todd nodded feebly and went to his room. He was still shaken from the encounter. The cruel words Bragg spoke he couldn't get out of his head. Those words shook Todd to his core. Something inside him clicked but he didn't know what. Little did anyone know that Bragg's cruel remark had unleashed more inside him than a petty desire for revenge. 

****

Next chapter: Nightmares force Todd to delve deeper into his past, where he uncovers an awful truth and a betrayal that will threaten his very sanity. 

Oh and in case you didn't figure it out, Bragg and Whithalf are mine, everybody else isn't! (Even Flagg, he was in some of the older GI Joe cartoons)


	16. Return To Darkness

**Return To Darkness**

The night of the three generals Todd woke up crying. He had another nightmare. Trembling, he literally hopped out if his bed and into Roadblock's room. Roadblock was sound asleep. Without hesitation, Todd shot under the covers like a small child and lay next to Roadblock. 

True he felt childish, he really was too old for this sort of thing, but he just couldn't help himself. The nightmares he had been having were too frightening. They struck some kind of primal chord inside him. The only thing he knew how to stop panicking was to be near Roadblock. He felt safe around the strong Joe. For the first time in his young life since his mother died, he felt secure around an adult. 

Roadblock stirred and turned over facing Todd. He didn't open his eyes. He didn't have to open them to know Todd was there. "Kid are you in my bed again?"

Todd made a tiny yes whimper in answer to his question. Roadblock, still with his eyes shut asked, "Another nightmare?"

After another whimper in the affirmative, Roadblock sighed. "Okay, you know you're way too old for this. But I guess you can't help it. First thing in the morning we are going to have a little talk with Psyche-Out and find a way to stop these nightmares once and for all. Got it?"

Todd made a third whimper. "Fine," Roadblock sighed. "You can stay this last time, now go to sleep."

Todd instinctively snuggled next to him, making contented whimpers of calming down. He felt calm and safe lying there, listening to Roadblock's heartbeat. He fell back to sleep almost instantly. 

Roadblock was not so lucky. "I must be crazy," He groaned, absently stroking the boy's hair. "That's it, stress, sleep deprivation…I'm starting to believe I'm this kid's mom. I need a vacation!" 

He opened his eyes and looked down at Todd's sleeping form. "Kinda cute when he's asleep," He sighed. "More that can be said when he's awake. He's not that bad a kid though. I can't believe I just said that! I'm even used to the smell!"

Todd made a contented sound. The next thing Roadblock knew was that he felt Todd's long tongue lick his cheek, like a baby animal showing affection for its parent. 

"I must be going crackers," Roadblock groaned as he felt the slime dribble down his cheek. "I'm even used to that!

The next morning…

"Psyche-Out you gotta help me," Roadblock pleaded while drinking his fifth cup of coffee. "He drives me crazy enough during the day! At night he's impossible! I can't even get mad at the kid for this! With these nightmares he's like a little lost tadpole! Comes into my room and looks at me with those big baby froggy eyes and I just don't have the strength to kick him out."

"Well its not totally unheard of," Psyche-Out remarked. "Cases of regression sometimes happen in children after a traumatic experience. You say he climbs into bed with you? Every night?"

"For the past two weeks. When he first came I had to sit up with the kid in his own room. I thought it would pass. But it kept getting worse. Now he just sneaks into my room and snuggles next to me like I'm some kind of oversized teddy bear and he even licks my face while he sleeps. Like a puppy." 

"Well it could be worse, he could be doing other things in your bed."

"Trust me you have never had a tongue bath from this kid. Not much else is worse." 

'Well," Psyche-Out thought, "As I was saying, child regression does happen after severe trauma. And I say the treatment Magneto gave him qualifies. In a way, this behavior is a positive sign."

"How?"

"Well this shows how strong his attachment to you has become. He obviously sees you as a father figure. He wouldn't keep coming into your room if there wasn't a bond there."

"Wonderful," Roadblock groaned. "He likes me. Now what?"

Psyche-Out smirked. "You're not fooling me, Roadblock. I know how much you care for the boy. Which is good. We have to get to the root of his nightmares. I strongly suspect that part of it is rooted in an abandonment complex. Fear of being rejected that sort of thing. I suggest that today we start with some intense psychotherapy. Perhaps by delving into his past we can find some answers. Over the next few weeks…"

"Few weeks?" Roadblock yelped. "I don't think I can last another few days!" 

"Well then I guess we'd better get started," Psyche-Out sighed. 

************************************************************************

Todd sat nervously in the chair. "Are you sure this isn't gonna hurt me?" 

Psyche-out shook his head. "You won't feel a thing. Now just relax and listen to the sound of my voice."

Todd listened and allowed himself to drift away to Psyche-Out's words. Soon he was unconscious. Roadblock watched him fall deeper under Psyche-Out's control.

"Listen to me," Psyche-Out spoke. "Take Roadblock's hand." Todd did so. "Now when you feel scared or uneasy about what you see you just give his hand a squeeze and there will be no pain. You will still see everything but the pain will be gone. You will be safe. It will be like you are describing what is happening to someone else. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Todd said softly. 

"I want you to go to the point just before the bad people start hurting you," Psyche-Out said. "Tell me where you are and how old are you."

"I…I'm nine years old," Todd said, his voice very small. "I'm being sent to another orphanage. They keep sending me to all these places because no one wants me there. Especially the adults. They keep saying that an ugly child like me ruins the atmosphere."

"How did you get to the orphanage?"

"After my dad…he hurt my mommy very badly. She didn't wake up again. They took me away from him," He whimpered. "I was only seven when she died. Since then I was stuck in a lot of places where no one wanted me. Then when I was nine…I think there was a fire in one place and I ran away and I ended up living on the street. I think this was the place. Yes, I know it is. I was there at this orphanage for only a few months."

"Tell me about the last orphanage. What was it like?"

"Scary," Todd whimpered. "They took my clothes and made me wear this hospital uniform. They locked me in my room. They tried to take Hopper away from me but I cried and cried so they left him alone."

"Who's Hopper?"

"My stuffed frog. My mommy gave me him so I would feel safe and warm." 

"Is this place where the bad things happened to you?"

"Yes," Todd sniffed.

"Do you remember seeing any other children there?"

"One or two. They were usually in wheelchairs and they didn't talk much. They looked sick. Then again I was always locked in my room." 

"Tell me how it happened," Psyche-Out said softly. 

Todd squeezed Roadblock's hand tightly before he went on. "I'm in this strange room. It looks like a doctor's office. There are people in white coats examining me. I'm afraid. They keep touching me and poking me with cold metal instruments. This one doctor…she's very scary. She takes me to this table and makes me lie down. She straps me down. She even holds my head in place so I can't move. Then she puts some kind of cover over the rest of my body. And the next thing I know, some kind of green water is all over me, except for my head. My body is in the tube with the water and my head is sticking out. It's very uncomfortable." 

Todd began to shake. "It hurts! It feels like its burning and that someone is punching my body! I'm crying and telling them to stop. But the doctor lady tells them to ignore me! It hurts more and more and I'm crying and pleading for them to stop but they don't! Why don't they stop hurting me? I'm just a little kid!"

"Todd listen to me!" Psyche-Out said. "You can't feel them hurting you any more. The bad things they are doing to you are over. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Todd sniffed. "But they leave me in that thing for a long time and they talk about stuff I don't understand. It sounds like they're putting stuff in my body. They did a lot of other bad stuff to me too."

"Like what?"

"They keep sticking me with needles and attach wires to my head. They do this stuff once every day. I keep asking me why are they doing this. The mean doctor lady tells me to shut up. This is for my own good. But it hurts. Why is she so mean?" 

"Do you remember what the bad people look like? Can you describe them?"

"The mean doctor lady was blonde…no wait…I'm lying down and she's talking to someone. I can't see his face. But her voice has changed and she looks different too. But I'm so tired and weak I can't tell what's going on."

"Todd I want you to take a closer look at the lady's face. You can do this. Describe to me what you see."

Todd looked closer. He remembered. 

He could see the doctor's face now. It had changed in the hallway. Before he had thought he had imagined it. But now he knew that wasn't true. He could see that face clearly now. A face he knew too well.

"N-No!" Todd trembled. "NO!" 

"Todd what is it? What do you see? Todd!" Psyche-Out yelped as Todd shot up out of his chair. He started to trash the room, kicking holes in the wall, overturning furniture. Both Roadblock and Psyche-Out tried to restrain him. "Todd, what's the matter? What is it?"

"SHE LIED TO ME! SHE SAID SHE WOULD HELP ME BUT SHE WAS THE ONE WHO HURT ME!" Todd screamed as he fought.

"Todd who lied to you?" Psyche-Out shouted, trying to hold him. "Who was it? Who did you see?"

"MYSTIQUE!" Todd screamed before collapsing to the floor sobbing. 


	17. Struggle

**Struggle**

It had been nearly half an hour since Todd had been subdued. After he collapsed he started fighting again, taking out his pain and frustration on whatever he could get his hands on. It had taken three other Joes to come and help keep him down until Lifeline sedated him. They sat outside the door, worried. 

"So what's he doin' in there?" Tunnel Rat asked. 

"Psyche's got some new therapy idea," Big Lob told him. "Supposed to calm him down and make him feel safe and secure. I think."

"Poor little guy," Cross-Country shook his head. "After what he's been through no wonder he's in a world of hurt. Magneto made it worse."

"What do you mean?" Tunnel Rat asked. "How do you know what went down?"

"I …um…overheard Roadblock and Psyche-Out talking," Cross-Country fidgeted. "A lotta bad stuff happened to that kid. Real bad…"

"So what's the 4-1-1?" Big Lob asked. 

"Yeah spill it," Tunnel Rat told him.

"Okay," Cross-Country sighed. "I probably shouldn't even be saying this but one of the orphanages the kid was in, wasn't an orphanage. It was a research facility and he was…"

"No…" Tunnel Rat went pale. "Don't say it."

"Aw man," Big Lob shook his head. "No wonder he joined the Brotherhood."

"Forced into it remember?" Cross-country corrected. "But there's more. One of those so-called doctors was actually Mystique in disguise." 

"Oh man," Tunnel Rat shook his head. "And where there's Mystique…"

"Mag-nut-o's not that far behind," Big Lob finished. "How could they do that to their own kind? Why?"

"The kid's wondering the same thing," Cross-Country sighed. 

Inside the room, Todd was sound asleep, curled in Roadblock's arms. Gently Roadblock rocked him back and forth like an infant. "Do you think this will help?" He asked Psyche-Out.

"It's a new form of therapy," Psyche-Out shrugged. "Still in the experimental stages, but there have been promising results. He needs security Roadblock. The boy's been emotionally ravaged and destroyed so many times. It's a wonder he's survived. This will at the very least instill a sense of security in his subconscious. It's going to be pretty intense, for both of you…"

"Doesn't matter," Roadblock shook his head. "He needs me. I'm here for him."

"He should sleep for a while," Psyche-Out sighed. "Lifeline gave him a pretty strong sedative. But I don't want to make a habit out of it. His body may not be able to take it due to the radiation exposure. I guess that's how his skin got that pale greenish hue and it explains his lack of body hair."

"When I get my hands on Magneto and Mystique…" Roadblock growled.

Todd moaned quietly. Roadblock gently stroked his cheek. "Shhh," He shushed the sleeping child. "It's okay boy. Roadblock's here." Todd quieted down. 

"I've been thinking," Psyche-Out said. "It might benefit him if we tried some more natural healing therapies. Those hot springs the ninjas use. There's something about them that also helps psychologically."

"I've already spoken to Stormshadow about that," Roadblock nodded. "I've decided that he's also going to intensify Todd's training."

"What?" Psyche-Out couldn't believe his ears. "I agree physical exercise will be helpful…"

Roadblock cut him off. "I know what has to be done," He said. "If he has any chance of surviving his future, it has to be this way. He won't be harmed or tortured. It will make him stronger."

"I dunno Roadblock," Psyche-Out sighed. "I mean ninja training can become pretty intense. You think he can survive it?"

Roadblock looked at him with cold eyes. "He survived Magneto."

************************************************************************

Todd wandered among his memories. In his mind the memory of his betrayal played over and over. Todd felt sick to his soul. A terrible evil had violated him. Not just his body, but his very being. _They used me…I was nothing but a pawn to them. _

He found himself watching his younger self again. This time he was hiding under the bed, clutching at his stuffed frog. Smoke was filtering into the room. Out of panic, the young Todd scurried out of the bed and whirled around in terror. At the second flames started to appear the boy's eyes widened. He leapt to the barred window with a single leap. Before he realized it, he kicked out the bars and escaped out the window and raced off into the night as the building burned to the ground. 

Then he saw his younger self, crouching in an alley, hiding in a cardboard box, wearing only his pajamas. He clutched his stuffed frog tightly to his chest as the rain fell down, shivering in the cold. _So that's how I ended up on the street…Somehow I made it to Bayville. I managed to register at the school without them realizing I didn't have a guardian. I tried to keep out of trouble…then I saw her!_

He remembered it well. He had been called into the office. There she sat at the desk. With a knowing smile. "We both know you're not like other boys, are you Tolensky?" She smiled. "People call you a freak. A reject. But that's not what you are. Oh no. I can show you your true path." 

And then she changed right in front of him. He didn't recognize her from before. He thought at the time that it was the most wondrous sight in the world. He had called her beautiful. She smiled and gave him a hug, telling him that he was no longer alone in the world. That he was now a part of something greater. More powerful. That he was useful to her.

_I'll bet!_ Todd fumed. _She was probably laughing at me the whole time! How stupid I was to fall for her line! And I did fall for it the sap that I was. She was probably looking for me. Wanted me under her control! How could I have been so blind! _

Magneto…he must have known about me too. For all I know he could have set up that hellhole I was in! They not only knew about it…they did those things to me so they'd have their own super solder or something! I guess it must have backfired with that fire or something! Who knows what else they would have done to me? Who knows who else they did the bad things too! 

Rage built up in Todd's mind. _Never again…Never again…_

************************************************************************

A few hours later Hawk came into the study. Todd had been carefully placed on the couch, a blanket over his body. Hawk motioned for both Roadblock and Psyche-Out to step outside. They did so, leaving the door slightly ajar. "How's he doing?"

"It's too early to tell," Psyche-Out sighed. "He's been through a lot."

"He's about to go through a little more I'm afraid," Hawk sighed. "Flagg wants to know how much the boy knows about Magneto and the X-Men. I've been told to question him as soon as possible."

"You can't be serious!" Roadblock looked at him. 

"Flagg informed me as long as we use the boy as a source of information he wouldn't hand him over to any other area of the government," Hawk told him. "It was the only way I could think of to protect him!"

"I don't believe this!" Roadblock snapped. "The boy's been through hell and you want to interrogate him like he was some common criminal? You can't make him do that! I won't let you!"

"Roadblock I know how you feel," Hawk said evenly.

"Don't tell me that!" Roadblock shouted. "Don't tell me that you know how I feel after pulling this crap on me!"

"Roadblock take it easy!" Psyche-Out tried to calm him down. "No one wants the boy to be hurt. I'll sit in on the session."

"There isn't gonna be any 'session'!" Roadblock snapped. "I am not going to let you force him to talk!"

"I wanna talk."

Both Roadblock and Hawk turned around and saw Todd standing there. He looked extremely pale and haggard. His eyes were sunken in. "I wanna talk. I…" He looked at Roadblock. "I don't owe them nothin'. What they did to me…I can't let them win. You told me once the only two times you're allowed to quit is either when you succeed or when you stop breathing. The only thing I want now…is to stop them. To keep them from doing to anyone else what they did to me." His eyes grew cold. "I want to hurt them. The only way to do that for now is talking. If you don't talk and tell people…don't say anything…then they win. And they can hurt you again, and again, and again…"

"Todd," Roadblock held him.

"I don't want them to hurt me anymore," Todd's voice changed into a sob. He pulled away and looked back into Roadblock's eyes. "I just want to get it over with."

"Well," Hawk sighed. "Do you think now would be a good time?"

"Are you…"Roadblock began.

"Yes," Todd said simply.

"We should do this in my office," Hawk sighed. 

"Can I at least sit with him?" Roadblock asked. 

"That's not a good idea," Psyche-Out said.

"Why can't he be with me?" Todd whimpered.

"Roadblock's a bit too…biased," Psyche out told him. "How about we get Lifeline to sit with you. Will that be okay?" 

Todd nodded weakly. Hawk put a hand on Roadblock's shoulder. "Roadblock I promise we'll go as gently as possible on the boy. He'll be all right."

"Could you hold off questioning him for a minute?" Roadblock asked softly. "There's something I need to get."

Hawk nodded. Roadblock whispered a few words of comfort to Todd then took off. A few minutes later he returned with something. Lifeline was sitting next to Todd. He looked up. Roadblock knelt down. "I was going to save this for later, but you needed this now." He handed Todd something. 

Todd couldn't believe it. It was his cherished childhood stuffed frog. "Hopper," Todd clutched it to his chest. "How…?"

"I kinda had a friend of mine pick up a few of your things from the Brotherhood House," He shrugged. "I figured if I couldn't be with you…You answer truthfully now. Understand?" 

Todd nodded yes and hugged Roadblock. Then he got up, took Lifeline's hand and went into Hawk's office. 


	18. I Can Wait...

**I Can Wait…**

"WHERE IS HE?" Althea shouted. "Where are they keeping him?"

"Althea calm down!" Shipwreck snapped. 

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She snapped. "It's been two weeks! I haven't seen him since that General's meeting! What happened to him? Last I heard Hawk was talking to him for over four hours and then he just disappeared! Where is he? He's at the Dojo right? That's why I haven't had a lesson there! Am I right?"

"Althea you just have to calm down and accept the fact that you can't see him yet," Shipwreck tried to calm her down. 

"Why?" Althea cried out. "Why won't they let me see him? Tell me!"

"Sit down," Shipwreck ordered. She did so. He looked her square in the eye. "Remember I told you about your mother, how she was experimented on? That's what happened to Todd." 

Althea took it in. "Who did that to him?"

"We're not sure…" Shipwreck started.

"You do know," She looked at him. 

"It's not my place to tell you," Shipwreck stated. 

"I knew he had nightmares and a lot of bad stuff happened to him in foster homes," Althea sighed. She shook her head. "But…"

Shipwreck put his hand on her shoulder. "What are they doing to him now?"

"It's kind of complicated," Shipwreck sighed. "Stormshadow is giving him special training as well as Psyche-Out working with him. He's really going through a rough time. Listen, it's nothing personal. He just doesn't want to face anyone right now. He's hurting really bad. He's ashamed."

"Why? It wasn't his fault! It doesn't make any sense!" 

"It's a pride thing," Shipwreck shrugged.

"But I want to help him!" Althea cried. "I can help him!" 

"Right now the best thing you can do to help is to let him work through this on his own," Shipwreck told her.

Althea looked at him. "It was Magneto and Mystique who did that to him wasn't it?" 

Shipwreck nodded. "Honey just give him time. When he's ready, he'll let you know."

Althea looked at him, but said nothing. She went to her room and flopped down on the bed. Polly the parrot flew in and landed next to her. "Awk! Little Swabbie okay?"

"No," Althea sighed.

"Polly help?" 

"No there's…" She then looked at him. "Actually yes there is something you can do!" She grabbed him. "Come on bird!"

"Awk! Me and my big beak!" 

************************************************************************

Todd stood alone in the darkened dojo dressed in black. His eyes were closed as if in thought. Suddenly a dozen arrows appeared out of nowhere, aiming straight for him. Todd's eyes opened and dodged eleven of them easily. The twelfth he caught in his hand. He threw it at a target on the wall. It missed the bull's eye.

"Arrggh!" Todd growled.

"Patience," Stormshadow came out of the shadows. "You have gained much in a short amount of time. One does not become a master the day one starts as a pupil."

"I still failed," Todd sighed.

"Sometimes failure can be more instructive than success," Stormshadow told him.

"I thought there was no room for failure," Todd said.

"On missions, no. Training however is another matter," He told him. "You must learn to turn failure in here into success out there. Your arm is still too forward when you throw. You must limit its movement slightly." Stormshadow moved his arm to show him. 

"Shall I do it again, sensei?" Todd asked.

"That will be enough for now," Stormshadow nodded. "Go meditate in the garden. You must focus your mind. Next time you will be ready." 

Todd bowed and exited the dojo. There was a small garden with a waterfall. Todd knelt and closed his eyes, forcing his mind to become blank. He could not completely do it. He still could feel the shadows of the past haunting him. When he was training, he could keep them at bay. But at night…

The flapping of wings interrupted his thoughts. He looked overhead and saw a very familiar green and yellow bird flying overhead. 

"Awk! Special Delivery!" Polly flew around before dropping the letter. Todd read it.

**_Todd,_**

They won't let me see you but they can't stop me from writing to you! I know what those monsters did to you! It's not your fault! You have no idea how much I want to tell you that in person. I know we've only known each other a short time, but it feels like I'm losing my best friend. I miss you! I want to help you but I don't know what to do! Please Todd, tell me what I have to do to have you come back to me!

Althea

P.S. If you need me to bust you out or something, let me know, okay? 

Todd re-read the note. His heart skipped a beat. "Listen bird," He called out to it. "I want you to take a message…" 

************************************************************************

It was late when Todd slid out of the dojo. The moon was full so he could see clearly where he was going. Nothing was going to stop him as he made his way on this most important mission. 

Todd quietly crept through the base. He made his way to a secluded wooded area near Althea's house. The Joes often practiced their tracking there. He whistled a high pitched whistle. A second whistle followed in the distance. His heart beat faster with joy as he gave a second whistle. A rustle in the bushes startled him, but only momentarily. Althea burst forth, wearing black. The moonlight hit her face just right. To Todd she looked even more beautiful than ever. She ran up to him and held him tightly, overjoyed at seeing her dear companion once again. 

Todd kissed her passionately. Then he buried his face in her neck nuzzling her, taking in her scent. "I missed you," Todd whispered. 

"Me too," Althea kissed him back, then held him tighter. She broke away and looked around. "Come on," She took him by the hand to a more secluded area. She pulled him down to a sitting position near a tall tree. Todd held her tightly. She hugged him back. For a few minutes they didn't dare speak or kiss. They just held each other. Althea gently stroked his hair. Then Todd pulled away. "What's wrong?" 

Todd sighed. "I just…There's so much I have to tell you. But it's hard to say."

Althea held his hand. "Take your time. I'm here."

Todd took a breath. "I didn't just want to shut you out without telling you but…I had to. I…needed to be alone for awhile. I just couldn't be around you. It's not you. It's me. When I started to remember…" He stopped and closed his eyes. "It just hurt too much. I couldn't handle it. I felt so…ashamed."

"Todd I asked around and I heard that Mystique hurt you when you were younger," Althea said softly. "It wasn't your fault."

"I couldn't fight them," Tears started to leak from Todd's eyes. "I…"

"Shhh," Althea took his head and kissed the tears on his face. "It doesn't matter to me. I…I don't care what they did to you! I think you are one of the bravest people I know." 

"I don't feel very brave," Todd said.

"Todd I don't know everything they did to you," Althea said. "But I know anyone who survived what you did and still has the strength to keep going has got to have a very strong spirit deep down inside." 

"That or very lucky," Todd sighed. 

"Maybe," She stroked his cheek with her hand. "But you've come this far. You can't let them beat you."

"I know," Todd sighed. 

They sat together for a few moments silently. "So what kind of training have they got you doing?"

"A lot of ninja stuff," Todd said. "It's the only way I can describe it. A lot of exercises, running, martial arts and sharp objects thrown at me and stuff."

"Cool!" Althea smiled. "What else?"

"Well at night they have me doing counseling with Psyche-Out," Todd said. "They also have me doing other weird stuff. Like poking me with these tiny little needles."

"Acupuncture," Althea said. "Does it hurt?" 

"Well actually it doesn't," Todd scratched his head. "But the first time they did it I thought it was going to. I kinda screamed for a few minutes, heh…"

Althea giggled. "Yeah that sounds like you."

"They also have me take these baths with this water that smells kinda funny but it's nice," Todd said.

"Hot spring water eh?" Althea said. "I've had those. They are nice. They help you become stronger." 

"Yeah," Todd sighed. He looked at her. "I missed this. Just talking to you I mean."

"Just talking to me?" Althea raised an eyebrow. 

Todd blushed. Althea leaned in and kissed him. Todd kissed her back. "Well I guess there's other stuff I miss too," He smiled. 

Althea pulled him closer, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder. Her warmth felt good against the slight chill of the night. "I wish we could just stay here all night," She sighed. 

"I know," Todd sighed. "I have to go back soon. Before they miss me."

"Me too."

"I just want to stay here, just for a few more minutes," Todd whispered. "I don't want to think about anything else right now."

"Okay," Althea stroked his hair. "When can you come back?"

"I don't know," Todd sighed. "Roadblock's taking me on some kind of camping trip in a week or so. Maybe after then?"

They sat there quietly. "Todd," Althea said finally.

"Yeah." 

"Promise me that you'll return as soon as you can," She said softly. 

"I'll be back soon, I promise," Todd whispered. 

"I'll wait for you," She whispered. "Here," She dug something out of her jacket. It was a black bandana with something gold on it. "I got this for you." She put it on his forehead. "Think of me when you wear it." 

"This is cool," Todd looked upwards. "What's that gold writing yo?"

"It's Japanese," Althea explained. "It says 'warrior'." 

"Wow," Todd looked at her. "I never got anything this nice before. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Althea smiled. "You know there is another way of thanking me."

"Huh?" Todd thought for a second. Then it came to him. "Oh," He kissed her. Then he looked at her sadly. "I have to go." 

"Yeah," She kissed him back. "Come back to me soon."

"Promise," Todd nodded. He held her hand for a moment longer as if to preserve the moment for just a little longer. He impulsively gave her a brief, longing kiss before he hopped away into the night. 

Althea stared after him sadly. "Take care of yourself Todd," She whispered before sneaking off into the night. 


	19. We're Going Camping!

**This next chapter takes place about a week after the previous one. **

**We're Going Camping!**

"Oh boy we're going camping!" Todd hopped up and down excitedly. "Just you and me Roadblock!"

"That's right Todd," Roadblock sighed. "Four days in the jungles of the Rainforest. With no other human being around for miles."

"Wow!" Todd kept hopping. "I always wanted to go camping with my…But this is even better! I'm going camping! I'm going camping!" Todd hopped all over the room.

"Yes Todd," Roadblock groaned. "Not another human being for miles. Lucky me."

"Camping!" Todd sang out. "Oh man I bet the bugs are really big and juicy! I can hardly wait!" 

"Yup, plenty of big bugs."

"All kinds of juicy beetles, butterflies, and all sorts of bugs I never even seen before! I can't wait!"

"Yippee."

"And we get to sleep under the stars and swim in the water…"

"Yeah kid," Beach Head grumbled. "Go swim with the piranhas." 

Todd looked at the supplies packed in the corner of the lounge. "Just Roadblock and me! Me and Roadblock! Special training with Roadblock!"

"You're doing survival training with the Toad?" Hawk looked at Roadblock. "Who's going to survive who?"

"Ha ha," Roadblock said drolly. "Very funny. Come on Toad, the chopper we gotta load!" 

They went to the helicopter and met their pilot; a Texan with a bushy red moustache and sunglasses nicknamed Wild Bill. "Well pardners, ready for a little ride to the Rainforest?" 

"It's the real Rainforest right?" Todd asked as he buckled himself into the chopper. 

"You bet," Wild Bill nodded and patted the side of the helicopter. "This baby can take you to the Rainforest, then to Africa and back. She's got a special custom made engine that enables her to go farther than a wild teenager in the backseat of a corvette!" 

"Wow," Todd said. Then he looked sad for a second.

"What's wrong kid?" Roadblock asked. "Don't you wanna go?"

"No it's not that," Todd shook his head. "I just…wanted to say goodbye to Althea. That's all."

"Thought you did that last night."

Todd turned red. "You know about all those times I snuck out?" 

"I know everything," Roadblock raised an eyebrow. 

Todd gulped. He looked out the window as the helicopter took off. He saw Althea waving to him from the ground. He waved back. The triplets were there too, holding a banner saying **Goodbye Todd! Don't get eaten!**

Soon the base was only a speck. Todd settled in. He was quite enjoying the ride. 

"Hey kid!" Wild Bill asked him. "Wanna try flying the chopper?"

"Can I?" Todd's eyes went wide.

"NO!" Roadblock snapped.

"You never let me do anything fun," Todd grumbled. 

"That's my job," Roadblock sighed.

"Are we there yet?" Todd asked.

"No," Roadblock sighed. 

"How about we sing?" Wild Bill called out. _"Oh the Yellow Rose of Texas…"_

"Something we all know WB," Roadblock shouted out.

"Okay," Wild Bill smiled. _"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves!"_

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!" Todd joined in. They both sang. _"And this is how it goes! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves…"_

"Oh lord," Roadblock put his head in his hands. "How many cups of coffee did you drink this morning Wild Bill?" 

An hour later…

_"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!" _Both Todd and Wild Bill sang out with gusto. _"Everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves…"_

_"I'm gonna throw both of you out of the plane!" _Roadblock sang loudly. _"Right outta the plane, cause you're driving me insane! I'm gonna throw you two nuts right out of the plane if you don't shut up!!!" _

That shut them up. Todd looked at him and said. "It's a chopper, not a plane."

"He's right there Roadblock," Wild Bill told him.

"Hey anybody wanna take a swim in the ocean?" Roadblock growled. 

Several more hours later, they flew over a huge expansion of jungle. "Wow look at all the trees," Todd blinked. "I never seen so many trees in my whole life!"

"We're here!" Wild Bill called out. 

"We are?" Todd looked around. "Now what?" 

"Now we gotta suit up," Roadblock took a parachute out. 

"What do you mean?" Todd asked. "Aren't we gonna land?"

"In the middle of a jungle?" Wild Bill asked. "Sorry. You gotta jump."

"WE'RE JUMPING OUT OF THE HELICOPTER?" Todd freaked. He clung tightly to the seat. "NO! NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE! NOT AGAIN!" 

"Toad you are not gonna die!" Roadblock tried to drag him off the seat. "Toad, listen to me! It's going to be okay! You'll be attached to me and we are gonna have a parachute on and LET GO OF THE CHAIR ALREADY!" 

"NOOOO!" Todd cried out. He even wrapped his tongue around the seat. 

"Toad let go!" Roadblock shouted. "I am going to be with you the whole time! I promise!" 

"NOOOO!" Todd screamed. "NOT AGAIN!" 

"Oh man," Roadblock let go. He realized why Todd was acting the way he was. "Todd listen to me, Todd! This isn't like before! I'm going to be with you the whole time! Man what was I thinking?" 

"No, no," Todd whimpered. "I don't wanna be thrown outta a jet again!" 

"Todd this is totally different," Roadblock said in a soothing voice. "You'll be attached to me the whole time. I won't let go of you. It's perfectly safe."

"No, no…" Todd whimpered.

"I have a better idea," Wild Bill spoke up. "I had a feeling down in my bones something like this was gonna happen so I rigged up a little something. Roadblock push that red button over there will ya?" 

"What this one?" Roadblock did so. A basket popped out. 

"All you gotta do is get in and I'll wind it down," Wild Bill told him. "I'll just lower the chopper a bit." 

"Well at least it's better than jumping," Todd gulped. Reluctantly he got in with Roadblock. Soon they were being lowered through the trees. 

"Todd! Take it easy!" Roadblock groaned as Todd clung onto him for dear life. "Todd get off my back! Get your hands off of my eyes! I can't see anything! Todd you're shaking the basket! Todd!" 

The basket rocked from side to side. Finally it rocked so much that Todd and Roadblock fell out of it. Fortunately they were only a few feet off the ground.

"Well that was lucky," Todd blinked. "Hey I landed on something soft!"

"My head didn't used to be soft," Roadblock grumbled.

Todd hopped off sheepishly. "Sorry," He gulped. Roadblock glared at him. 

Soon the helicopter was nothing but a memory. Roadblock looked at the supplies strewn about. "Well at least nothing's broken," Roadblock said as he surveyed the damage.

"I'm sorry about freaking out like that," Todd shuffled his feet. 

"Well a lot of it was my fault as well," Roadblock sighed. "I should have realized you weren't ready to jump out of a plane yet."

"I try to be brave Roadblock," Todd looked at him with big eyes. "Really, I do. But I can't help being a coward."

"Now stop talking like that," Roadblock ordered. "You can be very brave when you want to. And as for the crying thing…well we're working on that. You've gotten a lot better. Really." 

"You think so?" Todd looked at him with big eyes.

"Yes," Roadblock told him. "Now come on. Let's pick this stuff up and find a good place to camp."

"Okay," Todd nodded. Soon they were walking through the forest with their backpacks. Well actually Roadblock was walking, Todd was gleefully hopping from tree to tree. 

"Wow!" Todd hopped up onto one of the branches. "Look at this place! This is wild yo!"

"Kid I've always been meaning to ask you where did you get that habit of saying 'yo' all the time?" Roadblock looked at him. 

"I dunno," Todd shrugged. "Streets of New York I guess. Hey what's up there?" He hopped higher into the trees.

"Hey Tarzan get back down here where I can see you!" Roadblock yelled.

"There's a lot of birds up here!" Todd's voice came from the trees. "Wow look at all the colors! Hey! Watch it! Stop pecking me! Ow!" Feathers and leaves started to fall down. "Quit it birds!"

"Todd!" Roadblock groaned.

Todd quickly hopped down. "Stupid birds," he grumbled.

"Kid do us both a favor, stay on the ground huh?"

"Okay," Todd hopped off.

"Lord give me strength," Roadblock rolled his eyes. "Kid stay close where I can see you okay?"

Todd was staring at something on a fallen branch. "What the…?" Roadblock saw it was a beetle. "Oh." 

"Be very, very quiet," Todd's eyes closely followed the beetle on the branch. "I'm hunting! The mighty stalker hunts his prey!" He shot out his tongue and swallowed it in one gulp. "Yum! Tasty!" 

"Well at least you know how to find food in the jungle," Roadblock sighed. 

Suddenly a gunshot rang out through the trees. "What was that?" Todd yelped.

"Somebody else is in the jungle," Roadblock took out his pistol. "That's usually not a good sign. Follow me, quietly."

Todd did so. Hidden by the jungle growth they soon came upon a platoon of men dressed in dark blue and green. They wore the emblem of a snake on their chest and they were heavily armed. Two of them were carrying an empty cage. 

"Who are those guys?" Todd whispered.

"Cobra Jungle Vipers," Roadblock growled. "We just stumbled on a nest of uglies. This is not good!"

"You stupid fool," A tall man with a black moustache and an eye patch hit a Viper. "What do you want to do? Give our prey notice we're out here?"

"Sir I thought I saw it," The Viper told him.

"What you saw was probably a bird you dolt!" The man snapped.

"I know that snake," Roadblock whispered. "That's Major Bludd. He's one mean maniac. Also a favorite of the supreme snake himself. What could he be doing out here?" 

"Now listen up!" Bludd snapped to his soldiers. "Our prey probably realizes we're out here by now. So keep your eyes and ears sharp, understand? If we fail to capture the creature I'll skin you all alive!"

"These guys are hunting something?" Todd gulped. 

"But what could they be hunting out here for?" Roadblock asked, puzzled. "What could Cobra want?" 

"Are you sure there's only two of them?" One Viper asked another.

"Yeah our informant was real clear about that," The other Viper nodded. "Mindbender wants them both. Especially the mutant."

"Mutant?" Realization hit Roadblock hard. He looked at Todd. 

"You mean there's another mutant around here?" Todd asked.

"I don't think so," Roadblock said evenly. "Todd listen to me. I need you to do exactly as I say, understand? No matter what happens. Promise me!" 

Todd nodded. "All right," Roadblock whispered. "Now have no fear. We are gonna get out of here. We get away and we radio the base for help. Got it?" 

Todd nodded. They moved away silently. When they got far enough Roadblock tried the radio. "Roadblock to base, Roadblock to base…" He looked at the radio. Nothing but static. "Uh oh…"

"What?" 

"They're jamming our signals. This is not good." 

"What do you mean?"

"We can't contact headquarters. Somehow Cobra knows about you and they knew we'd be out here alone."

"Who's that Mindbender guy they were talking about?"

"A sick disease of a scientist who likes to play with DNA. They way little kids play with Legos, only messier. Trust me, you don't want to know him."

"What do we do?" Todd looked at him.

"We have to get you to safety," Roadblock told him. "Then I'm going to go back and use their own radio to contact the base. For some reason Cobra radios can transmit through their own scrambling signals. There's too many of them to take on, and I don't know if we can hold out for four days. Besides, they might try to ambush our chopper at the pick up point. And I ain't gonna let them just blow up our buddies if I can help it!" 

Suddenly a bullet whizzed by them. "Oh great!" Roadblock grumbled. "Move it kid!" 

They ran through the forest, dodging bullets. They managed to get some distance away before a stray bullet hit Roadblock in the leg. He fell in agony. "Roadblock!" Todd screamed racing to his side.

"Todd run!" Roadblock readied his pistol. "Get away while you can! I'll hold them off as long as possible!"

"I'm not gonna leave you!" Todd cried out.

"That's an order boy!" Roadblock shouted fiercely. "GO! NOW!"

Todd whimpered, but obeyed. He heard Roadblock shouting as he shot at the Cobras, "Come on you slimy reptiles! Come and get me!"

As Todd hopped into the jungle he could hear the shots and Roadblock's cursing behind him. Then the shooting stopped. But not the shouting. He could not make out what he was shouting about but could tell by the tone of Roadblock's voice what had happened. 

Roadblock had been captured. 

With tears in his eyes Todd ran blindly through the jungle. He couldn't think clearly. He hopped blindly through the trees and branches for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he stopped and clung to the trunk of a large tree just sitting there, letting the raindrops trickle down on his face. Rain? When did it start to rain? He didn't even notice. His tears mingled with the raindrops. He was alone. Again.

_How could I just leave him like that? I know I was just doing what he told me but it wasn't right! I should have stayed! I could have helped him…yeah right Toad. Like you could do anything but cower and whimper. Useless! You stupid useless…what's that noise?_

Todd turned his head just in time to see a huge panther leap towards him, claws extended. 


	20. Law of the Jungle

**Law Of The Jungle**

The ebony panther charged towards him. Todd barely managed to leap out of the way onto another branch. Without hesitation the giant cat followed him. Todd was able to keep one step ahead of the animal, but it was close behind him. 

He leapt from tree to tree, faster and faster. Still he could feel the beast's breath on his back. In a desperate attempt he did a quick backflip and managed to land behind the animal. The panther turned around with ease and continued the chase. He couldn't believe how fast it was. No matter how fast he hopped, or how high he jumped it still followed him. _What is this thing on steroids or something?_ Todd thought frantically. _This thing ain't normal!_ He looked behind him and saw for the first time that the panther's back legs were silver. Metallic. _Great, out of all the panthers in the world I get chased by a feline version of the Terminator!_

Finally one of the branches Todd leapt on broke under the weight of both him and the panther. As they fell to the ground the creature lunged at him. Thoughts ran through his mind as they tumbled onto the ground below locked together in struggle. 

_The law of the jungle._

Eat or be eaten.

Kill or be killed. 

He didn't know how they survived the fall. Wait, he had fallen on top of the panther. The creature flipped him over. Somehow Todd was able to hold the creature's fangs and claws at bay. The beast was strong and savage and hungry.

_Kill or be killed…_

With a strength Todd never knew before he used his legs to kick the panther off him. Without a thought he leapt onto the beast's back. He used his tongue to strangle the panther's neck while pummeling with his fists and legs. 

It was a rush. A blur of fist and fang. Blood was drawn on both sides. Todd was oblivious to all pain as he struggled for his life. CRACK! He broke one of the cybernetic legs of the beast. It continued to struggle even though it was gasping for air. All Todd could see was red. All that mattered was survival. 

SNAP!

Then the creature when limp in his grasp. Todd withdrew his tongue. It tasted of blood and fur. He looked at what he had done. 

He had broken the panther's neck. 

Todd stood over the carcass, shaken, covered in its blood. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A savage scream-like howl rose from the depths of his throat. He panted with breath as his eyes opened and narrowed.

He had killed. 

He was not helpless.

He knew what had to be done. 

He looked at the beast again. Without thinking he snapped off one of the fangs with relative ease and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he hopped back into the jungle.

Exhausted, he dragged his body deeper into the jungle. He heard the sound of rushing water before him. Soon he plunged his head into the water, washing away the blood. Quickly he drew it out when he saw some fish approaching. He determined that they were not piranhas and drank deeply until he had his fill. He cleaned his wounds. They were superficial. For a few moments he sat by the river. It had stopped raining. By now it was nighttime and the moon was full. How had the day turned into night without his noticing it? The clouds had gone as quickly as they came and the sky was clear. 

He stared at the sky for a while. His mind struggled to become clear. He took a deep breath. He had to get Roadblock back. No matter what. He then went back the way he came. Back to where the Cobras were. 

He did not see a pair of serpent-like eyes watch him as he left.

************************************************************************

Major Sebastian Bludd was a former mercenary turned loyal Cobra officer. Of course for the pay he received every month he would be a loyal member of the Teletubbies if the truth were known. Needless to say he did not get his position by being a nice guy. 

"Well you put up a bit of a fight," He smirked to the figure tied up in the cage. "I have to admit, I am impressed. Wounded as you were you took on my vipers and dispatched five of them. Good thing I sent eight after you."

Roadblock glared at Bludd despite the ache of the shiner of his right eye. In addition to his leg injury, he had been beaten pretty badly. He was sure a few of his ribs were broken and the Cobras were not in a mood to dispense any medical treatment to their prisoners. 

"What are you doing out here snake-breath?" Roadblock hissed. "Looking for some other poisonous vipers to date?"

"Think of this as a supply run," Bludd said. "Some of Mindbender's little pets got loose a while ago. Fortunately we terminated them. Well, the ones that could cause us any real trouble anyway. One or two are probably still running around. The point is the good doctor is bored now that his experiments are all gone. I think your pet Toad will amuse the good doctor. At least for a day or two."

"There's no way you'll catch him!" Roadblock snapped. "The kid's miles from here by now!"

"Fool," Bludd smirked. "I know you Joes. The boy will have picked up that weakness of actually caring about a teammate. He will return for you in a misguided attempt to rescue you. That is when we will strike."

************************************************************************

There were two vipers on the edge of the camp standing guard. They didn't hear anything. They were casually talking, not paying attention to their duty. It was the perfect opportunity to strike. Todd leapt out and with two swift kicks, knocked them out before they could sound an alarm. 

Todd looked at their unconscious bodies. He didn't know why he simply didn't kill them. Maybe he wasn't really ready to cross that line yet. He was so distracted he didn't notice a third viper behind him, reading his rifle.

Todd whirled around and saw something strike the Viper sneaking behind him. Whatever it was it killed him instantly. Todd's eyes widened as he saw the thing crouch over the body. It was green and had scales. The scales on its flat chest were golden, almost in the shape of a V pattern. It was thin, but sinewy with sharp claws on the edge of it's fingers. It wore only a tattered pair of gray pants and had a mop of long wild dusty hair. Hair that was almost the exact same color as Todd's, only a slightly deeper shade. It glared at Todd with yellow eyes, with slits for pupils, like a serpent's. 

"You're not one of them," It said with those human/reptile features. It's face was flat like a human's but green, except for the gold patterns around and underneath it's eyes. It had sharp fangs as well. 

"No," Todd said. "They have my…friend."

It nodded. Todd looked at it as it stood up. It was a head taller than he was. It seemed to be about his own age. "I thought they were hunting me," It said simply. 

"Where did you come from?" Todd asked.

The creature simply pointed to the Viper and spat. Todd understood. "I need to rescue my friend. He's hurt," Todd told the creature. 

"They will hurt him more," It's voice was soft, almost melodious yet cold as ice.

"I need to find their radio to contact my other friends," Todd looked hard at it. "Do you know where I can find it?" 

"Yes," It told him. 

They looked at each other. There was no more need for explanations or names. No more words needed to be spoken. They knew they had to work fast. 

"The radio will be there," It pointed to a nearby tent. "We have to distract them."

"I got an idea," Todd grinned maliciously. "See that box of hand grenades there…"

"Yes a diversion on one side of the camp while you call from the other will do nicely," The creature grinned, it's teeth glittering in the moonlight. "I believe I can best retrieve them." He pointed to the guard asleep nearby. "He will never know what hit him." That was when it disappeared. Literally before Todd's eyes. Todd could not believe as the box seemed to float in mid air back towards him. Then the creature was back again. 

"How'd you do that?" Todd asked awed. 

"Cobra designed me to be the ultimate assassin," It spoke. "Invisibility is very useful to an assassin is it not? I think I will have much fun with these." It grinned. "Much fun." 

Ten minutes later, a huge explosion rocked the other side of the camp. "What was that?" Bludd snapped rushing out of his tent. "Not the tanks! How…? That mutant must be cleverer than I thought! Get him!" 

While the troops were amassing at the other side of the Cobra camp Todd snuck around to the tent where the radio was. There were only a few Cobras there. Todd easily knocked out the Viper guarding the entrance and snuck in. There were three Cobras inside. Todd kicked one viper in the stomach, then did a back flip and kicked another viper in the head. "I'll get him," Another viper raised his rifle. A pair of talons made sure he didn't. 

"That was quick," Todd remarked.

"I was trained to be," The creature told him. "The radio is over there!" 

"Let's try this," Todd worked the radio. "Toad to GI Joe base, come in GI Joe base! Roadblock just got captured by Cobras!" Todd kept calling relaying the coordinates. The creature watched the entrance. Todd did not notice he turned invisible again. 

Two Vipers entered the tent. "HEY!" One shouted. He shot at Todd but missed. He blew up the radio instead. "Why you little…" He didn't finish. The creature made short work of him and his partner.

"I believe we have worn out our welcome," The creature told Todd and left. Todd followed him. They fled out of camp. 

Bludd was furious. "Are you telling me our tanks were destroyed and half the camp was trashed by that little runt?" He snarled at a Viper. 

"Seems like my little pet Toad's giving your boys a bit of a headache!" Roadblock grinned.

"Sir the mutant has been spotted in camp," The viper ran up. "He got away though."

"Hmph," Bludd snarled. "No matter, he'll try again and when he does we'll be ready for him. Won't we Mr. Roadblock?" He laughed.

Roadblock snarled. When Bludd left he closed his eyes in sadness. He didn't care what happened to him; he would not allow Todd to be experimented on again. Even at the cost of his own life. _I won't let them take you Todd, I promise._

The creature disappeared into the night without a word. Todd didn't know why he simply took off. He rested on the branches on top of a huge tree. _I'll save you Roadblock, _He thought as he closed his eyes in order to get some sleep. _I promise._

************************************************************************

Daybreak. "Move out!" Bludd snapped to his awakening troops. "That brat has got to be around here somewhere! Bring him out," He motioned to the Vipers who were dragging Roadblock outside. He was bound tightly and could hardly walk, but he still had a fighter's look in his eye. 

"Now we take care of this once and for all," Bludd snapped. 

Hidden in the jungle Todd watched the Cobras. "Careful," The creature reappeared suddenly as he had disappeared the previous night. "They will use him as bait to capture you."

"Don't you think I know that?" Todd snapped. "But I can't just leave him! Look at what they did to him! He's hurt!" Todd's fists balled up. 

"Listen you little freak!" Bludd called out. "I know you're out here! So listen up! I've got your friend here and if you don't want anything to happen to him you'd better show yourself! You hear me you genetic mistake! Come on out! Otherwise there will be one less GI Joe on the planet!" 

"Don't listen to him Toad!" Roadblock shouted. "Save yourself!"

"Quiet you!" Bludd hit Roadblock hard in the face.

That did it. Todd snarled and leapt out of his hiding place. He knocked down several Vipers in order to try to get to Roadblock. However they were ready for him. A net was launched and it captured Toad. Several Vipers grabbed him and tied him up. 

"That's it boys, bring him here!" Bludd laughed as they dragged him forward. "Now let's get a good look at the little freak that lead us in such a merry chase!" He looked at Todd. "You have got to be kidding! **This** is what we were sent out here to get?" 

Todd looked around. The creature that was helping him had disappeared. Not that he blamed it. He was on his own now. He struggled against his bonds but could not escape the men that held him. 

Bludd glared at Todd. "All this trouble for an ugly little runt. I hope Mindbender isn't too disappointed."

"Let Roadblock go you snake," Todd snarled.

"Or what?" Bludd laughed. "You gonna slime me? What can a pathetic little freak like you do?"

At that moment a missile flew over Bludd's head and blew up a tank several feet behind him. 

"WHAT?" Bludd looked in horror as several Joes appeared out of nowhere and started to decimate his troops at the edge of the Cobra camp. And by the looks of it the Cobras weren't putting up much of a fight.

"You really should guard your radio equipment better Bludd," Roadblock snickered. "Actually in your case you should get better deodorant! They probably followed your smell!"

Bludd snarled and kicked Roadblock in the head, knocking him unconscious. "ROADBLOCK!" Todd screamed as he struggled against his captors, holding him tightly. 

"You did this," Bludd snarled at Todd. "But I can still win and get you to Mindbender, if we lightened the load." He took out his pistol and aimed it at the unconscious Roadblock.

"Mindbender ain't gonna be too happy," One Viper said. "He wanted them both alive." 

"As long as we have the mutant," Bludd cocked his weapon. "Mindbender's not really gonna care what happens to one Joe."

Rage built up in Todd. Something inside him ignited. He felt like his stomach and throat was on fire. Without thinking, Todd shot out a purple spray of liquid from his mouth onto Bludd's hands. It burned him on contact. "AAAGGGHHH!" He screamed, dropping the weapon from his hands. 

With an outburst of strength Todd burst through the rope and threw off his captors. He spat the purple spray at their faces. They fell back in agony, screaming and writing on the ground.

"You hurt him," Todd growled advancing on Bludd. 

"You beast," Bludd snarled, grabbing at his hand held pistol with his less damaged hand. "Stay back you monster!"

"You're the monster!" Todd kicked it out of his hand. He snarled at Bludd.

For the first time in a very long while, Bludd knew what it was like to be afraid. Very afraid. "S-STAY BACK!" He screamed as Todd leapt on him. 

Dazed, Roadblock recovered consciousness, the sounds of battle ringing in his ears. He saw the Vipers running from the Joe reinforcements, forgetting everything but the need to save their own skins. There was the sound of a fight nearby. No, not a fight. Someone's bones were being broken. He looked behind him and to his shock he saw Todd whomping the daylights out of Bludd. Two Joes ran over and tried to pull him off, but could not do so. By the looks of things if they didn't do it soon…

"TODD!" Roadblock screamed as loud as his lungs would allow him.

As if he was snapped out of a trance, Todd stopped. He blinked and looked at Roadblock. "Roadblock!" Todd sobbed and ran towards him, forgetting his prey. "Roadblock!" Todd grabbed him and held him tightly, tears leaking out of his eyes. "I…I…" 

"I know kid," Roadblock said softly. Then he passed out. Todd howled in terror, clinging tightly to his mentor. 

In the distance, the creature with the yellow eyes watched for a moment. Then disappeared into the jungle.

**What will happen to Roadblock? Who is the mysterious creature that helped Todd? What's the deal with that purple stuff Todd spit out? Answers coming up in future chapters! **


	21. Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

"Todd will you please stop fluffing my pillow?" Roadblock groaned. 

"I just wanna make you more comfortable," Todd said. They were in the medical wing. Roadblock was resting comfortably. Well as comfortably as one could with Todd continually fussing over him.

"Do you want some ice cream?" Todd asked. "Magazines? Another pillow?"

"NO!" Roadblock snapped.

"Are you sure you don't want another pillow?" Todd asked.

"Yes!"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Roadblock snapped. "Boy you must have something wrong with your ears! You never listen to me! I told you to get away from those Cobras and what do you do? You ignore me and get yourself captured!"

"Aw go easy on the little guy RB," Cross-Country said. He and Hawk were visiting Roadblock. "If it wasn't for him we'd have never saved you and we wouldn't have found out about the Cobra base nearby!"

"That's true," Todd nodded. "I didn't mean to disobey you!"

"Oh great now he's starting to talk like me," Roadblock groaned. 

"Cross-Country why don't you take Toad here for a drink or something," Hawk said. "I just wanna word with Roadblock."

"No problem General," Cross-Country steered him out. "Come on kid, I'll buy you a soda." 

"Is he mad at me?" Todd asked with his trademark wide-eyed look.

"Nah," Cross-Country patted him on the back. "He's just worried you were gonna be hurt, that's all. You know Ol' Roadblock…" 

Hawk chuckled mildly to himself as they left. "Two weeks sick leave with that kid," Roadblock groaned. "I'd have been better off with the Cobras!"

"Come off it Roadblock the kid loves you," Hawk smiled. "He sees you as his hero! You know he worships you."

"Yeah I know," Roadblock sighed. 

"Major Bludd got the message too," Hawk said. "The medics at the prison say it will be a miracle if he ever walks again."

"I know," Roadblock shook his head. "I couldn't believe it myself. Did Lifeline figure out what that purple goop the kid spit was?"

"Some kind of acid," Hawk told him. "Quite poisonous. Some of it was even leaking through his skin. It could even paralyze a person temporarily."

"How did that happen?" Roadblock asked. 

"Well between you and Stormshadow the kid's been training pretty hard," Hawk reasoned. "Plus he has amphibian like DNA. And some toads have been known to have poisonous secretions in their skin."

"No doubt amplified by Mystique and her little friends at that lab Todd was in," Roadblock growled. 

"Yes," Hawk sighed. 

"But why now?" Roadblock was puzzled.

"Simple really," Hawk shrugged. "Adrenaline. When Toad saw you in danger…"

"I get the picture," Roadblock sighed. "I still can't believe that kid took out so many Cobras and Bludd. Even with that mutant's help. Did he tell you anything more about the mutant he saw?"

"Not even a name," Hawk shook his head. "Mindbender's at it again. Wonderful. And according to Toad they can probably turn invisible."

"What joy," Roadblock grumbled. 

"Well at least there's one of them that's all too happy to fight Cobras," Hawk sighed. "We'll try to find him and bring him in, but I don't think he'll be too happy about coming with us on his own. Probably scared of us."

"Hmmm," Roadblock nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I'm glad Toad fought those snakes. Did me proud."

"Yeah," Hawk said. "He's getting stronger Roadblock. That kid may end up stronger than all of us someday."

"I know," Roadblock sighed. "He's a good kid, deep down. He just has a few problems that's all." 

_I just hope those problems don't turn the kid against humans,_ Hawk thought to himself. Instead he said, "The kid needs guidance Roadblock. Just don't push him too hard."

"I know what I'm doing," Roadblock sighed. 

"We got sodas!" Todd came in happily. "I got you some Yo Joe cola! Your favorite!"

"Thanks kid," Roadblock nodded. "Come here. I gotta tell you something about yesterday."

"Okay," Todd did so and sat on the edge of the bed. 

"Well I gotta tell you something," Roadblock sighed. "If the situation was reversed I would do the same thing myself. I'm proud of you kid. You handled yourself real well." 

"Really?" Todd's eyes went wide.

"Yes," Roadblock said. "Now don't get all cocky. You still have a lot to learn! Got it?"

"Yeah!" Todd's eyes brimmed with tears and gave Roadblock a hug. 

"Ugh!" Roadblock groaned in pain. "Not so tight kid!" 

"Sorry," Todd pulled away. 

Roadblock ruffled Todd's hair. "Crazy kid," He muttered. 

Todd smiled. "Don't worry Roadblock! You took care of me! Now I'm gonna take care of you!" 

"Oh joy," Roadblock groaned. 

"Now let me fluff up your pillow!" Todd started fluffing the pillow. 

"Somebody help me!" Roadblock moaned in agony. 

"This is gonna be fun," Cross-Country snickered. "This I gotta see." 

"I gotta go now," Hawk smiled. "Take care Roadblock, Toad." He went outside and saw Duke.

"So how is he?" Duke asked.

"He'll be fine with a few days of R&R," Hawk explained. "Now all he has to do is survive Toad."

"That's good to know," Duke nodded. "But you didn't call me down here to update me on Roadblock's condition did you?" 

"I don't think it was a coincidence that a Cobra platoon just happened to be nearby when they landed in the jungle," Hawk said. "Not just the hidden base, but they knew they were coming. They also know about Toad somehow."

"Looks like we've got a leak," Duke's eyes narrowed.

"Somehow this base got compromised," Hawk growled. "There may be a traitor among GI Joe. And something tells me we can rule out Roadblock and Toad."

"So who could it be?" Duke asked. "How are the Cobras finding out their information?"

"I don't know," Hawk furrowed his brow. "But I am going to find out." 


	22. Breakfast at Toad's

**Breakfast at Toad's**

Roadblock gingerly sat up in bed. Thanks to Lifeline's healing abilities he had been allowed to return home the next day for rest. Though Roadblock had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't get any. 

His suspicions were confirmed within two seconds of his waking up. The smell of smoke was in the air. "Oh no…" He ran as much as he could to the kitchen. There was a mess of pots and pans everywhere. Something was smoldering in a pan and there was batter all over the room. 

"What the …?" Roadblock asked.

"Good Morning! I made you breakfast!" Todd chirped happily, holding out a platter of something brown and black. "Pancakes!" 

"Oh…goody," Roadblock gulped. 

"Well sit down!" Todd pushed out a chair for him. "Eat up!" He put the plate in front of Roadblock and looked at him with large, hopeful eyes. "It's the first time I ever made breakfast!"

"Really," Roadblock said. "Imagine that. Hey isn't that the door? Todd get it will ya?" It was the door. Todd went. Roadblock secretly stuffed one of the pancakes in a nearby vase while his back was turned. 

"Toddles!" Althea grabbed Todd tightly and yanked him around. 

"Aw Althea not so loud," Todd rolled his eyes, embarrassed. "Hey Roadblock it's Althea!"

"Oh hi Althea!" Roadblock said brightly seeing an opportunity for escape. "Come over to invite Todd to go somewhere?"

"Well yeah," She looked around. "What happened here? It looks like the kitchen exploded?"

"I made breakfast," Todd said happily.

"I…see," Althea looked at Roadblock. 

"Someone's gotta take care of Roadblock," Todd told her. 

"Look why don't you kids go off and have some fun!" Roadblock said suddenly. "I'll even clean up the kitchen!"

"But I was gonna do that," Todd said.

"I don't care I wanna clean!" Roadblock yelped. "Now go run along and have fun and stay out as long as you like! I insist! Did you have breakfast?" 

"I already ate," Todd said.

"So did I! Come on Todd," Althea dragged him off. 

"There is a god," Roadblock sighed. Absently he picked a piece of pancake and ate it. "Oh I should not have done that," He grimaced and made his way to the bathroom. 


	23. A Guy, A Girl, and A Spaceship

****

Here's more pointless fluff. Todd and Althea deserve a little more alone time, don't you think? 

**A Guy, A Girl, and A Spaceship**

"I'm so glad you're back!" Althea grabbed Todd's hands and whirled him around and around. Her voice was filled with joy at being with Todd again. 

Todd laughed with glee. "It's good to be back!" They whirled around and around until they fell down shrieking with laughter. 

"I hear you stomped those snakes good!" Althea smiled. 

"Well yeah," Todd shuffled his feet.

"Don't feel sorry for any snake," She told him. "They deserve everything they get, believe me!" 

"No I don't," Todd said. "It was weird, I mean. The way I fought…I never could dream I could fight like that. I wish the Brotherhood could have seen me fight! They would have…" He stopped talking.

Althea held his hand. "I wasn't missing them," Todd told her. "I…just miss the way it was…a little."

"Yeah I know."

"Hey can I ask you something?" Todd turned to her. "You know all the scoop around here. I know the Joes are watching the X-Geeks."

"Yeah I heard that they put a few operatives in the high school to watch both them and the Brotherhood," Althea said. "Cobra's got a few operatives too. They want to use them for their own purposes."

"Did you hear anything about…" Todd started. "I was just curious to see how things were."

"Well I heard one of the Brotherhood nearly killed Mystique not long after …you left," She said softly.

"Really?" Todd looked at her. "Good." 

"Haven't heard much else," Althea sighed. "Hey forget about those guys. That's all in the past. You got better things to think about."

"Like what?" Todd blinked.

"You are so innocent," She rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh," Todd blushed. 

"Come on," She dragged him to his feet. "I wanna show you something! You'll love it!" 

Todd held her hand and followed her blindly, not caring where they went really, just as long as he was with her. "How do you know all this stuff anyway?" Todd asked her.

"Oh you know my dad," Althea told him. "He just loves to talk and stuff. He's the biggest gossip I know. So did you really see another mutant in the jungle?"

"Yeah He looked like a cross between a snake, a person and a lion. Weird." 

"So did you see any other mutants?" Althea asked.

"Unless you count Robo-Kitty no," Todd told her. 

"We're here!" She pointed to a small brown bunker. 

"Uh where?" Todd blinked. 

"Come on!" She dragged him inside. "We can be alone in here."

"A-alone?" Todd blinked again. "Uh Althea what exactly do you have in mind? Gee it's dark in here. Uh…"

"Ready?" She said, her voice purring. 

"Uh…yeah," Todd gulped. He closed his eyes. Then everything went bright. Todd looked around and saw something silver and shiny before him. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup," Althea nodded. "It's the spaceship." 

"Wow," Todd looked at it. "Where did you guys get something like this?"

"Long story," Althea shrugged. "Basically it kinda fell to earth. The original owners split in another ship and just left it here. So we took it but it also got broke during the process." She punched in a code for the door. "Come on I'll show you inside!"

The inside was dark, so Althea decided to turn on the lights. "Computer! Lights on!" 

The lights went on, revealing a silver hallway. "What the heck is going on?" A feminine voice shouted. The door at the other end opened revealing Cross-Country and a shorthaired light brown haired woman at the other end. "What the heck are you two doing here?"

"Cover Girl," Althea blinked. "Cross-Country. Hey I thought you were dating Dusty. What happened?"

"Never you mind!" Cover Girl snapped. "You didn't answer my question!"

"We came to see the spaceship!" Todd nodded enthusiastically.

"You shouldn't be in here!" Cross-Country said. "Althea I keep telling you this area's off limits!" 

"Yeah well what are you two doing in here?" Althea asked.

"That's classified!" Cover Girl snapped. 

"I'll bet," Althea snickered. 

"We were just tinkering with the equipment you know," Cross-Country said. "Hawk wanted us to work on it some more."

"Kinda hard to do in the dark," Todd snickered. 

"We had a power failure," Cross-Country gulped. 

"Look you let us have a look around and we won't mention your…power failure to anyone," Althea said.

"Deal," Cover Girl huffed. "Okay we'll give you two the guided tour." 

"This is cool yo!" Todd looked around. "Imagine a real spaceship!" 

"We learned a few things over the years about it but we still have no dang clue how it works!" Cross-Country sighed. "We were trying to fix the wiring when well…"

"I get the picture," Althea grinned.

"Ooooh," Todd awed at all the wires exposed on one panel. "Cool."

"Now don't touch anything Todd," Althea told him.

"Aw let him play with it," Cross-Country groaned. "Can't do any worse than we did."

"Really!" Todd's eyes widened. "Thanks!" He went right to work. 

"Men and their toys," Cover Girl shook her head. "Come on Althea, you might as well help me over here."

"The brilliant Toad, genius scientist marvels at his latest project," Todd hummed happily. He made a mad scientist laugh. "Igor!"

"Yes master," Cross-Country mimicked the famous character.

"Wrench!" Todd laughed.

"Oh brother," Althea rolled her eyes. "No wonder this thing hasn't flown in seven years." 

"You have to admit they are amusing to watch," Cover Girl smirked.

"Just get back to work Cover Girl," Cross-Country said. "We'll take care of this side."

"Yeah you do that Wavedancer," Todd said.

"Wavedancer?" Cross-Country looked at Todd then Althea.

"Wavedancer?" Cover Girl looked at Althea.

"It's my code name," Althea said proudly.

"Since when do you have a code name?" Cross-Country asked. 

"I made it up!" Todd said proudly.

"You got a problem with the name?" Althea snapped and made a fist.

"No, no," Cross-Country held up his hands in a defensive position. "Nice code name. Very nice."

"Suits you," Cover Girl smirked. They went back to work. Within an hour Todd had made a mess of the wires, even using chewing gum to stick it together. Suddenly the machine seemed to hum to life. "What the…?" Cover Girl looked around. 

"I don't believe it," Cross-Country looked around. "I do believe that it's finally fixed!" 

"Cover Girl, Cross-Country where are you?" They could faintly hear Hawk's voice outside. 

"Uh oh," Cover Girl said. "Stay here and hide. Don't touch anything! We'll be right back!" They left quickly.

"Man I can't believe we did it!" Althea looked around. "I just hope those two don't try and steal all the credit."

"Hey what does this button do?" Todd asked. 

That's when the engines came to life, much to the horror of Cover Girl and Cross-Country outside the ship. "What's going on here?" Hawk said. "Who's in the spaceship?" 

"Uh oh," Cross-Country gulped. 

"What do you mean uh oh?" Hawk snapped. "Who else is in there?" 

"Uh…" Cover Girl gulped. That was the exact moment the spaceship took off and crashed through the back of the bunker, flying high into the sky. "That's not good."

"WHO IS FLYING THAT SPACESHIP?" Hawk screamed.

"Yeah!" Althea was at the controls having a blast.

"Oh man," Todd was holding on for dear life. "Why did I have to fix this stupid thing?"

"Wow look at the view!" Althea whooped with joy. 

"I'd love too," Todd moaned. "If it wasn't for the fact that my life is flashing before my eyes! No! No loop de loops Althea! Stop!" 

"Come on where's your spirit of adventure?" 

"It's back on the ground somewhere," Todd muttered. 

"Todd look where we are!" Althea called out. 

Reluctantly Todd opened them. His jaw opened in shock. "Whoa…"

All around them the stars sparkled. They were high above the Earth. Todd let go and walked next to Althea. "Wow," He kept saying. "I never knew there could be so many stars."

"It is beautiful," Althea sighed.

"Okay where did you learn to fly a spaceship?" Todd asked. 

"I flew this thing before when I was younger," Althea explained. "I told you it was a long story."

"Sounds like an interesting one," Todd scratched his head. Then he turned his attention to the outside. "Man I never thought I'd end up in outer space. The closest I ever came was that Asteroid M. And I didn't exactly get much chance to do much sightseeing." He looked at Althea. "You're really something you know?"

"Huh?" Althea was taken back. "What do you mean?"

"Hey you control water, you breathe underwater, you're a kick butt fighter, and now I find out you fly spaceships. Talk about perfect." 

Althea blushed. "Well it's not like I've had the most normal of childhoods or anything." 

"So?" Todd asked.

Althea turned her attention back to the ship. Todd put his hand on her shoulder. Althea blushed again. "Don't even think about asking me to drive," Althea told him.

"I wasn't," Todd told her. "I think I've done enough damage." 

"Well," Althea said. "It wasn't so bad this time. I mean, I think this is a great place for a date."

"D-date?" Todd blinked. "Um," He looked out to the stars. "Yeah. Yeah it is." 

They flew around the Earth. Todd felt lighter. Maybe it was the lack of gravity. Or perhaps it was something else. They looked at each other at the same time. Todd couldn't help himself. The glow from the stars was reflected in her eyes. Cautiously he bent his head down towards her. She tilted her head up ever so slightly and closed her eyes in anticipation. Ever so gently he pressed his lips to hers. It was a perfect moment in time. 

"We should get back," Althea broke away after a moment. "They'll be worried about us."

"Yeah," Todd sighed. "And we're probably gonna be in a lot of trouble." 

"Well if we're gonna be in trouble anyway why not make the most of it?" Althea smiled. "Hang on!" The starship sped downwards through the clouds. "Whahooo!" 

"Alright!" Emboldened by his emotions, Todd was now enjoying himself. "Hey where are we?" 

"Dunno, somewhere over North America," She looked at the viewer. "It's gonna take me a few minutes to figure out the direction finder on this thing. Maybe we should stop and ask for directions?" 

"Are you nuts?" Todd said. "We're fine!"

"Why is it that guys are so afraid to ask for directions?" Althea snapped.

"We are not afraid to ask for directions!" Todd snapped back. 

"Are too!"

"Are not!" 

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ARE NOT!" 

"PROVE IT!" Althea shouted.

"FINE!" Todd snapped. "There's a gas station! Park the ship down there!" 

So it was that the spaceship appeared to a very astonished gas station attendant.

"Excuse me," Todd poked his head out. "Um, could you give us directions to the Joe base. "We're kinda lost." The gas attendant just stared at them with his mouth opened but no sound came out.

"Forget it!" Althea called to him. "I think I figured out the direction finder on this thing!" 

"Well it's about time!" Todd snapped. 

"Hey get some snacks!" Althea called out. "I'm kinda hungry."

"Yeah yeah," Todd hopped out. "Wait a minute, I don't have any money!"

"Uh, take whatever you want," The gas attendant gulped. "It's on the house." 

"Cool!" Todd said. "Thanks man!" He hopped inside and used his tongue to grab a few items.

"Todd!" Althea called out. "Are you using your tongue?"

"Ufff," He gulped. "No." 

"Use your hands!" She yelled at him. "I don't want you getting slime all over my food."

"Okay, okay," Todd grabbed more stuff and brought it inside the spaceship. "Thanks!" He waved goodbye. The ship took off.

The gas attendant walked inside and grabbed the phone. "Hello National Enquirer? I think my gas station was just robbed by aliens!"

Meanwhile the two mutants were having a grand time. "I love candy bars," Todd gulped happily. "Candy, candy, candy!"

"Don't be such a hog! Save some for me!" Althea munched on one. "Hey let's have a picnic on that mountain over there!" 

Althea steered the ship to a quiet deserted spot by a lake. They ate and drank and joked and laughed. Todd picked her some flowers and put them in her hair. Unfortunately one of them had a bee in it, but Todd ate it. Then Althea kissed him again. They kissed for a few minutes in the tall grass before deciding it was time to go home and face the music.

As they flew back Althea noticed something on the radar. "Hey what's that?" She pointed to a black airplane that was all too familiar to Todd. 

"I know that jet anywhere!" Todd snapped. "That's the X-Jet! Hey how fast can you fly this thing?"

"Pretty fast," She raised an eyebrow. "What do you wanna do?"

"Buzz 'em!" Todd snapped.

"Yeah!" Althea laughed mischievously. "Hang on!" The ship went faster and nearly knocked the X-Jet out of the sky, startling the people inside the plane. "How was that?" She laughed as they sped out of sight.

"Wow! You nearly knocked them into a mountain!" Todd grinned from ear to ear. "I'm impressed!"

"Thank you," She grinned back. She slowed the ship down. "Well we'd better enjoy our last few minutes of freedom. They are gonna kill us when we get back."

"It was worth it," Todd said and he kissed her on the cheek. 

Suddenly three fighter jets flew up along side the spacecraft. "All right kids!" A voice came over the intercom. "Pull over!"

"Uh oh," Althea looked at the jets. She started playing with the radio. "Party's over. Uh, this is Althea calling GI Joe air force. Hi guys."

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" An angry Joe's voice came over the speaker. 

"Chill out Slipstream," Althea said. "We were just out for a little ride."

"Oh great!" Now Hawk's voice came over the radio. "Just what we needed! You two out joyriding in a spaceship!"

"We didn't mean to cause any trouble," Todd said. "We were just having some fun yo."

"Oh wonderful, just having some fun," Hawk said sarcastically. "Didn't mean to cause any trouble. You just got the entire eastern seaboard in a panic that's all! Do you realize how many fighter jets are on alert looking for you? You are just lucky we found you first! How we are gonna hide this from the Pentagon I have no idea!" 

"Well look at the bright side Hawk," Althea said. "At least the spaceship can fly again." 

Hawk moaned and began to hit his head repeatedly on the wall. "Why me?"

**Well now you all have a brief clue on my next project. Sort of a sequel to Ronin Toad, which takes place at the exact same time this story does. I'll start that as soon as I finish my other little projects. **

Hawk: Whenever that is. 

Kelly: Are you **ever** going to finish my story? Just curious.

Hawk: I told you, she's going to drag it out to the end of the season. What are you worried about? There's only about four or five episodes left.

_A British gentleman with black hair comes out. _

Blackadder: At least she's working on your stories! Hello? What about the three other stories you were supposed to be working on for me? 

Um, I gotta go now. More technical problems. My muses have run amok again. 


	24. Number 11

**Number 11**

In the jungles of South America, the creature known only as Number 11 watched as the smoke rose through the air. The mutant watched the other soldiers destroy the base of it's former masters with little emotion. Then Number 11 turned and walked away, leaving it's past behind. 

Number 11 had not gone far when its stomach began to rumble. _I haven't eaten in days. Not since I saw that little one. Food has been scarce since then. _Exhausted, Number 11 curled up into a ball. The memory of the other one lingered in the mutant's mind. _He was a mutant, like me. Yet not like me. Did those soldiers create him? Was he programmed for loyalty? _

Longing for one's own kind is a powerful emotion. Number 11 had not felt such kinship since…_Since the others were gone. How many changes of the moon had that happened? Ten? Twelve? I miss them. I miss how we trained together. Fought together. Even when we suffered we were not alone. I remember how we all huddled together for comfort and warmth at night when our masters locked us away. They created us to be their weapons, but somehow we knew deep inside we were more. _

It was One, our leader who gave us the idea of freedom. One was the best and greatest of all of us. One trained us, taught us, and ruled us wisely. It was One's plan to break away from our masters and live by ourselves away from captivity. Where we could be free. The more they tried to keep us enslaved with their drugs and their whips and their collars, the more inspired we became. We became immune to the drugs and the whips and we learned to escape the collars. We were all going to escape and be free. Together. All 20 of us.

But now I am alone. Number 11 fought back the tears. _They slaughtered us all. We had become a threat. It was only by chance I survived. I was left for dead. I have been alone since then. I will always be alone. _

Number 11's senses became alert when it heard the snap of a twig. _Fool! You forgot yourself! There are soldiers still here! What if the other one told them about you? They could capture and enslave you too! Not again! Never again! Better to die first! _

The soldiers appeared out of nowhere. Number 11 cursed itself on its lack of caution. Number 11 looked around. Trapped. _Time to fight!_

Suddenly something sharp hit Number 11. A dart. Number 11 tried to fight off the effects, but quickly fell into dreamless oblivion. 


	25. A New Friend

**A New Friend**

"Will you kids stop your water fight?" BA shouted. Althea and Todd were on KP duty. Actually what they were doing now was creating a huge mess. "The kitchen looks like Noah's Ark sprung a leak!" 

"Just washing up!" Althea told him. "Watch!" She created a mini water tornado and it spun all over the place. Unfortunately it also got BA and it spun him around and around. 

"HEEEEEELLLLLLP!" He screamed.

"Oops," Althea subsided the waters. "Sorry about that." 

"That's it," BA lay there on the floor. "You two are done. Go. Please!"

"Yeah!" Todd and Althea ran out of the kitchen.

"I was better off at the bottom of the ocean," BA groaned. "More peaceful." 

"That was great," Althea laughed.

"Easy for you to say," Todd remarked. "Your body doesn't stink when it gets wet." 

"Aw come on," Althea looked at him. "It's gotten a lot better. Must be the soap."

"Yeah," Todd bashfully hung his head down. Then he noticed some activity. "What's going on over there?"

"Let's find out," Althea said and they went over to a group of Joes talking. 

"Great that's all we need around here," Beach Head snapped. "Another one."

"Another what?" Todd asked.

"Another one of you," Beach Head snapped. "That mutant in the jungle's crazier than you!"

"You mean they found that mutant I saw in the jungle?" Todd blinked. 

"Yeah and he wasn't too happy about being found," Beach Head snapped. "Had to trank him to get him and when he came too, he nearly killed me!"

"Well that proves he's not all bad," Low Light said. 

"Well how did you expect him to react?" Todd said angrily. "He was used by those Cobra goons and they hurt him. He doesn't know you guys! He probably thinks you were gonna hurt him or something!" 

"Listen that mutant is off limits to everyone!" Beach Head snapped. "Especially you kids!"

"But…" Althea started to protest.

"Come on Althea," Todd took her arm. "Beach Head's right. Let's go."

"What are you up to?" Althea asked when they were far enough away.

"Somebody's gotta tell that mutant that the Joes are the good guys," Todd said. "There's the medical unit. If I can make it to that window and inside, I can see him and tell him what's what!" 

"Are you crazy?" Althea asked. "What am I saying?"

"Althea you keep a lookout," Todd told her. "I'm going in!" He hopped up to the window and snuck through. 

Todd managed to make it through the medical wing unobserved. He quickly found the room where the mutant was. There was no guard, but the door was locked. Luckily Todd's skills at picking locks were not rusty.

Todd peeked his head in. The mutant was huddled underneath the blankets. "Hey," Todd said softly. "Can I come in?"

Instinctively the mutant sat upwards and crouched in a fighting position. "Whoa! Whoa! It's me!" Todd held up his hands. "Remember? From the jungle?"

The mutant blinked it's eyes. "You do remember don't you?" Todd said softly. "Then you know I ain't gonna hurt you. Look we didn't really get to introduce ourselves. I'm Todd, but everybody calls me Toad. That's my code name."

The mutant simply stared at him with those yellow eyes. "O-kay," Todd scratched his head. "Look, I know you're kinda freaked about being here. I understand. You don't know how to react, but you could at least tell me your name. I mean it would be easier to talk to you, y'know."

Still the mutant said nothing. "Okay let me try another way," Todd looked around. "Hey, you're name would be on this chart thingy here. How about I take a look at that?" He read the form. 

NAME: XI

"Okay," Todd looked at the name. "Uh…Xi," He pronounced it "Zai". "Nice to meet you." Again the mutant was silent.

"Look," Todd sighed. "I ain't good at this talking stuff but believe me I know exactly how you feel. I mean, it wasn't that long ago when I found myself in the same place you are now. Literally. I was with this group see…Their leader treated me rotten. He did things to me too. Then he abandoned me and left me to die. I thought I deserved to die for being so weak and useless. But then the Joes found me. And I met Roadblock; he's kinda like my new dad now. They're not what I expected. They're real nice. Well except for Beach Head, but he's a jerk and nobody likes him, so he don't count. But they were kind to me. They really wanted to help me with no strings attached." 

Xi looked at him. There was a look of pain and sadness in the mutant's eyes. "I thought I was alone," Todd said. "But I ain't any more. I got friends now. That can happen to you too." 

"Todd what are you doing here?" Beach Head burst in. "Are you crazy? What a stupid question! Get away from that monster!"

"No!" Todd snapped. "Xi's my friend. He's not bad! Cobra just made him that way!"

"Xi?" Lifeline came inside. 

"Well that's his name ain't it?" Todd asked. "Says so on the chart."

"It's X-I," Beach Head snapped, exasperated. "They're Roman Numerals! It means 11. His name is Eleven!"

"I like Xi better," Xi said softly. He looked at Todd and Lifeline.

"Beach Head why don't you go talk to General Hawk?" Lifeline suggested, guiding him out of the room. "I think we have things under control here." Beach Head stormed out in a huff. 

"You ain't even had a real name before have you?" Todd asked. "Man, no wonder you don't like to talk."

"We aren't going to hurt you," Lifeline said softly. "We only want to help. There are others on this base. Mutants like you. They're only children as well. They're father is a soldier here and well we found Toad so…" He looked around. "Are there any others like you? Did any other mutants survive Cobra?"

"I'm…alone," Xi said softly. "My kind were all destroyed by those who created us. I alone survived." 

"I'm sorry," Todd said gently. 

Xi looked at Todd. Tentatively it reached for Todd's hair and touched it. Todd looked surprised but Lifeline motioned him to stay still. Xi examined the texture of Todd's hair, then traced Todd's face with his fingers. 

"You are like me, yet not like me," Xi said simply.

"I'm a mutant like you yeah," Todd said. 

Xi then looked at Lifeline. Cautiously Xi touched Lifeline's face and hands. It jerked away. "You are human, yet not human." Xi stated. "Not mutant either."

"You can tell that?" Lifeline was surprised. Xi nodded. "I have the gift of healing, but I don't know where it comes from." 

"You will not harm me," Xi said simply. 

"No I won't," Lifeline said softly. "I promise." 

Xi trembled nervously. "I no longer wish to be alone. Isolation…is painful."

"We all know how you feel Xi," Todd said. "Hey Lifeline maybe I can take Xi home with me!" 

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lifeline said. "Xi needs to rest."

"I don't want to be alone," Xi told him, sounding like a frightened child. 

"I'll sit with you tonight," Lifeline said. "And tomorrow Todd can see you again."

Xi nodded. "I just have to send Todd off and get something," Lifeline told him. "I'll be right back, okay?" 

"Bye Xi," Todd waved to him. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Lifeline took Todd outside the door. They saw Hawk and Roadblock waiting for him. "I knew it," Roadblock sighed. 

"Take it easy on him Roadblock," Lifeline said. "The kid actually did some good. The mutant…Xi calmed down because of him."

"Yeah can I see him tomorrow Roadblock?" Todd asked. "He's really scared, just like I was. It'll be cool having another mutant around! Hey maybe he can move in with us?"

"Oh no," Roadblock groaned. "One of you is more than enough! But as for seeing him…" He looked at Lifeline.

"There's no danger," Lifeline told him. "I believe they've made a connection."

" Yeah, what was all that touching stuff?" Todd asked. "Is that what you meant?" 

"I think that's how Xi gets to know people," Lifeline explained. "I think he was genetically programmed to sense people through touch. Nothing you have to worry about." 

"Weird," Todd shrugged. 

"Not really," Lifeline told him. "All living beings need to be touched. It's just part of the basic needs of humans. And mutants." He looked at Hawk and Roadblock. "I think it would be good for both of them if they had some contact. It would make the transition easier for Xi and as for Todd…"

"Yeah, yeah," Roadblock sighed. "It would be good if you had another little playmate around. Oh all right. As long as it's fine with General Hawk and Lifeline you can play with your little friend." 

"YES!" Todd smiled.

"Why don't you bring him by after breakfast tomorrow?" Lifeline suggested. 

Roadblock agreed and left with Todd. Hawk sighed. "You really think this is a good idea Lifeline?" 

"Yes," Lifeline nodded. "You didn't see how Xi relaxed when Toad came into the room. I think it would be beneficial if Todd and Xi spend some time together before Xi meets the others."

"We should still be careful," Hawk sighed. "Xi isn't just a normal mutant. Xi was created to be an assassin."

"So was Stormshadow," Lifeline told him. 

"Stormshadow wasn't created in a lab," Hawk reminded him.

"True, but they were both trained to fight and kill since birth," Lifeline told him. "And they both chose to leave Cobra. That warrants a chance. Um, do you think we should tell anyone else about the **other** thing I discovered about Xi during my examination of…"

"No," Hawk sighed. "I don't think anyone, especially the kids really needs to know about Xi's …um…little secret. It wouldn't make much difference anyway. There's no need for worry about that. I think that if we don't tell everything will be fine."

Hawk couldn't have been more wrong. 


	26. Suspicions

**Suspicions**

To Todd's surprise, Roadblock didn't yell at him for sneaking off to see Xi. He listened patiently while Todd explained the situation. Finally he said simply, "Well I guess I can't blame you for wanting to help him. You did what you had to do."

"So I can see him some more?" Todd said hopefully.

"Well as long as Hawk says it's okay," Roadblock told him. "But remember, he's been through a lot. Don't rush him, okay. He's obviously not used to people and the real world. So take it easy on him."

"Okay," Todd nodded. 

Roadblock ruffled the boy's hair, then gave him a brief hug. "You're a good kid, you know that?" He said. 

"Aww," Todd pretended to be embarrassed but was secretly thrilled. He pulled away smiling.

"Listen," Roadblock's tone turned serious. "I need to tell you something. You have to be more careful from now on. You know those Cobra soldiers finding us wasn't an accident do you?"

"It wasn't?" Todd looked at him. "Then how did they find us?"

"We don't know," Roadblock said quietly. "They may have had inside information."

"You saying that there's a traitor on this base?" Todd's eyes went wide. 

Roadblock sighed. "I don't wanna think that, but it looks like it. Don't worry, if there is we'll find him." 

"They want me don't they?" Todd asked.

"And Althea and the other kids probably," Roadblock sighed. "Been after them for years. And now we have Xi on base. Cobra's probably not too thrilled about that."

"No wonder Xi's freaked," Todd shuddered. "Who would want to do that around here to us?" 

"I don't know," Roadblock sighed. "I don't know." 

************************************************************************

Later that day, Althea and her family were settling down to dinner. "COME AND GET IT!" Shipwreck rang the bell in the dining room. The triplets nearly ran him over. "Hey watch it kids! The foods not gonna run away you know!" 

"Dinner!" They danced around excitedly.

"Yum Yum!" Little Claudius was already in his high chair, trying to eat Cheerios.

"AWK!" Polly squawked from his perch. "Chow time at the zoo!" 

"So what's new?" Shipwreck asked as he put the dinner on the table.

"I learned how to make a computer explode," Quinn said. 

"That's nice," Shipwreck nodded. 

"Brittany and I are learning CPR," Daria said. 

"Good to know," Shipwreck nodded. "Althea?"

"I learned about the new mutant some more," Althea told him. "He didn't even have a name before Todd named him. Calling himself Xi now."

"Hmm," Shipwreck finished setting the table. "Okay kids you know the rules. No eating until we say grace. GRACE!" 

Immediately they all started grabbing food all at the same time, fighting each other for food. It looked like they were competitors at an eating contest more than a family eating dinner. Especially with Claudius throwing Cheerios at them. Later on into the meal they started to talk. 

"There's something about that new mutant they're hiding," Althea said, thinking aloud. "They're not letting him have any other visitors except Toad. And I don't think he even realizes it."

"Well he is a programmed assassin," Shipwreck said as he spoon-fed his son. "That might limit the number of visitors."

"No not just that," Althea shook her head. "I tried to sneak a peek at Xi's medical forms, but Lifeline freaked when he saw me. Why? We all know Xi's a mutant and can turn invisible. And I hear he looks like a snake, so what's the big deal? Heck he even yelled at me, but he was more nervous than angry. I could tell it in his voice." 

"You know how Lifeline is," Shipwreck told her. "He's probably wants the kid to feel at home. He was pretty protective of Todd when he first came here I heard."

"I guess you're right," Althea sighed. She then noticed that Brittany was about to pick something off her plate. She blocked Brittany's fork with her own. "Hey! Hands off you moocher!" 

"Fine," Brittany sniffed. She started to filch something from Quinn's plate. 

"Watch it!" Quinn snapped. "Or else I'm gonna get you like Roadblock's gonna get that traitor!"

"What traitor?" Daria asked.

"The traitor that tried to get rid of Roadblock and Toad," Quinn told her. "It's all over the base!"

"I can't believe that one of us is the traitor," Brittany shook her head.

"Since when did you join the army?" Daria asked.

"You know what I mean!" She stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well if any Joe had to be a traitor I hope it's Beach Head," Althea grumbled. "The guys a jerk!"

"Nah too obvious," Shipwreck sighed. "Maybe Cobra's just got the base bugged? They've done that before."

"But how?" Althea asked. "Unless it was an inside job." She couldn't stop thinking about it. She had grown up with most of these people around her. The very thought that one of them wanted to hurt her, Todd or her family made her skin crawl. 

_I'll talk to Todd in the morning,_ She finally decided. _Maybe we can figure out this together. _


	27. Getting to Know You

**Getting to Know You**

The next day Todd went in to see Xi. Xi seemed more composed now. Much more relaxed and calm. "Hey yo Xi!" Todd waved. "You look better!" 

"You must excuse me for my lack of composure yesterday," Xi said calmly. "I had assumed the worse when I was brought here."

"Hey Xi forget about it," Todd told him. "Like I said I know what you are going through. It's no big deal."

"I'm supposed to be a trained soldier," Xi said harshly. "And the moment I thought I was captured I panicked like a child."

"Technically you are still a kid," Todd told him.

"I suppose you are right," Xi said. 

"Of course I'm right!" Todd told him. "Look forget about the past. It does no good to dwell on it too much."

"I shouldn't but…" Xi sighed. "I still miss my unit. The others like me. I still dream of them."

"Yeah," Todd said. "You think you'd always be together. A family. But it didn't work out that way."

Xi looked at him. "You understand." 

"Yeah," Todd sighed. "Hey so…what do you like to do for fun?"

"Fun?"

"Yeah you know, relax, hang loose. Go crazy. Fun."

"You mean…entertainment?"

"Yeah."

"I used to watch the simulated combats."

"Fights okay that's a start." Todd scratched his head. "How about dancing?"

"What?"

"You know dancing!" Todd noticed a small radio and flicked it on with his tongue. "Like this!" He bopped around to the music.

"What are you doing?" Xi looked at him quizzically. "And what are those strange sounds coming from that machine?" 

"That's music Xi!" Todd said exasperated. "You never heard it?"

"No."

"That means you probably don't know dancing either!" Todd groaned. "Okay I get the picture. They didn't let you have any fun in that nuthouse you escaped from did they? Well lucky for you I know a lot about having fun!" Todd hopped closer to him. "Hey I got an idea. We can help each other you know. I ain't exactly a perfect fighter, but if you teach me some of your moves I can get better. You do that, and I'll teach you how to have fun! Izat a deal?" 

He held out his hand. Xi looked at it quizzically. Tentatively he held out his. "It's like this," Todd place the hand into his and shook on it.

"Deal," Xi smiled. "Now what were you doing before? Dancing?"

"Like this!" Todd demonstrated. "Just let your body move to the music. Come on!" 

Xi watched him for a minute, then started to mimic him. Soon both were dancing. "This is like martial art movements," Xi said. "Only more…interesting. Quite…enjoyable!"

"Told you!" Todd laughed as they jumped around. 

"What's all the racket in here?" Althea came in. Both stopped immediately. 

"Yo Althea!" Todd smiled. "How'd you sneak in?"

"I have my methods," Althea smiled. She looked at Xi. "So you're Xi. Name's Althea. Pleased to meet you."

"She's a mutant too," Todd told her. "She and her family grew up on this base."

"Oh," Xi said simply looking at her up and down. "Hello."

"I'm glad you got away from those snakes," Althea said. "I know what kind of monsters they are."

Xi looked at her closely. "Uh, is there something wrong?" She asked. "Hey!" She balked when Xi reached for her hair.

"Uh it's okay," Todd gulped. "He's just checking you out."

"WHAT?" She snapped.

"Uh I mean he figures out people by touch," Todd held up his hands, blocking her from attacking Xi. "It's one of his powers. He just wants to get to know you."

"Couldn't he get to know me without touching my hair?" She asked.

"Is that wrong?" Xi asked.

"Is he kidding?" She asked. 

"How about if you just hold her hand?" Todd asked. "Here you go," He put her hand in Xi's.

Xi looked at her. She stood there for what seemed like a long time. "Uh how long does this take?" She asked, feeling a little weird.

"You have great power," Xi said. "Water breather as well as water controller. You are the daughter of one of the first ones aren't you?"

"First ones?" Althea asked.

"The first creations of Cobra," Xi explained. "I recognize the DNA code inside her."

"You can understand DNA codes?" Todd asked.

"It was a skill implanted in us," Xi said. "So that we would know what are opponent's abilities were. Especially if we fought other mutants." 

"Well here's a tip," Todd said. "If you ever fight a girl with brown hair with white streaks, don't touch her. Trust me on this."

"A what?" Xi asked. 

Just then Bree came in. "So how are you doing Xi? Hey Althea what are you doing here?"

"Well I…" Althea put her hand through her hair.

"Are you a mutant too?" Xi asked Bree. "You seem to have the same physical mutation as Althea."

"What?" Althea looked at him. Xi pointed to her chest. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"Um no I'm not a mutant," Bree looked a bit confused herself. 

"What do you mean by that?" Althea snapped. "What are you some kind of wise guy or something? Don't you know better not to insult a girl like that?"

"There's that word again," Xi said. "What is a 'girl'?"

"What do you mean what's a…?" Althea and Bree looked at Xi.

"You mean you've never seen a girl before?" Todd blinked. Xi shook his head. "Oh man, you really don't know anything but fighting don't you?" 

Xi nodded. "This is not gonna be easy," Bree sighed. "Um a girl is another name for female. You know opposite of male."

"Oh," Xi said. "I've heard of them. I've never seen a human female before." 

"Oh man you really have had it rough," Todd groaned. 

"Something tells me that it's going to be a quite a while before you're ready for the real world." Bree groaned. "Okay I think that's enough socializing for now. I think Hawk wants to interview Xi."

"Hawk's real nice," Todd said as Bree shepherded them out. "Don't worry Xi, it'll be okay. We'll see you later!"

"Good bye," Althea waved to Xi as they left. As they went into the hall she asked. "Todd, is it me or did Xi seem kind of…strange?"

"Give the guy a break Althea!" Todd said. "I mean he don't know nothing about the world and stuff."

"That's not what I mean," Althea said. "I dunno. Something about Xi isn't…normal and I know what you are going to say but I mean something beyond the whole mutant thing. I can't put my finger on it." 

"I think you're thinking too much," Todd shook his head. "Come here," He put his arm around her. He kissed her cheek. She giggled. They were unaware that a pair of serpent like eyes was watching them. 

Xi stared at the couple. _So that is a female. _When Todd put his arm around her, Xi felt something. The way they looked together. _What is it I'm feeling? I've only just met…_And still Xi felt suddenly possessive for no reason at all. 

For the first time in Xi's existence, he knew jealously. 


	28. Adjustments

**Adjustments**

About a week passed before Xi was let out of the medical wing. He had been given a tan outfit to wear and his hair was now tied up in a ponytail. Todd and Althea were now showing Xi around the dojo. 

"It's impressive," Xi admitted. 

"I'm glad to see they finally let you out of the medical ward," Althea said. "So where are they putting you? I mean, where are you going to live?"

"Xi will stay here at the dojo with me," Stormshadow told them. 

"Cool," Todd said. "That means we get to see you more often."

"Well how about a little sparring practice?" Althea asked. "I'm up for it."

"I do not wish to harm you," Xi said.

"Don't worry you won't," Althea grinned. "You can even use your powers. Go ahead. I want to see what you're made of!" 

"Watch out Xi," Todd called out. "She's tougher than she looks. Trust me!"

"All right," Xi said as they stepped into the arena. "But I will use my abilities."

"Go ahead," Althea smirked. They started to fight. Mostly they were dodging each other's kicks and blows, but they did land in some good punches. "Is this all you got?" Althea laughed. 

"No," Xi smiled and disappeared. 

Todd watched in surprise as Althea was thrown across the room by herself. "Okay, if that's the way you want to play," She snapped. She then closed her eyes. Then she struck out her fist in full force. Xi suddenly appeared, staggering backwards in shock. 

The next thing Xi knew, he was on the floor, pinned to the ground by Althea. 

"Yes!" She crowed. "Once again the winner and the champion!"

"Go Althea!" Todd laughed.

"Good job," Stormshadow nodded. 

"That was great," Althea helped a surprised Xi up.

"How could you find me?" Xi asked. "I used my power to become invisible."

"A little trick an old friend taught me," She smiled. "It teaches you to use your other senses whenever it gets impossible to use your eyes." 

"You gotta teach me that trick," Todd said. 

"You still have trouble with regular moves," Althea told him.

"I do not!" Todd said hotly.

"Do too," Althea said.

"Do not!"

"Do too!" 

"That's enough you two," Stormshadow said.

"Hey don't feel so bad," Althea told him. "I've been fighting since I was little too." 

"You are a worthy opponent," Xi said. "I will not make the mistake of underestimating you again." 

"Good," Althea smiled. "That means our next fight will be better." 

"Okay Toad you're up," Stormshadow said. 

"Um," Todd looked a bit nervous. "You ain't gonna do that invisibility thing are you?"

"As long as you don't slime me," Xi smirked.

"Okay," Todd nodded. Soon they were both dodging and weaving. 

"Impressive," Stormshadow said as the fight went on. Eventually Todd managed to give Xi a kick to the chin that sent him flying out of the ring. 

"Wow!" Todd hopped up and down. "I won! I won!"

"See you are getting better," Stormshadow told him.

"That makes me feel better," Xi grumbled. 

"Hey don't feel so bad," Todd said. "If you'd been using your invisibility you'd have won." 

"Remind me never to get in a kicking contest with you," Xi wobbled up and rubbed his jaw.

"I didn't hurt you did I?" Todd looked a bit worried.

"No," Xi shook his head. "Not that much."

Todd looked sad for a moment. "I don't want to hurt my friends," He said softly. "I mean…I never thought I could really kill someone before. And…" 

"Will you relax?" Althea sighed. "Xi you're okay right?" Xi nodded. "See. No harm done." 

"You are getting better," Roadblock appeared. "Althea your dad wants you to make sure your sisters aren't tormenting your brother some more. He sent me to get you, and I guess Todd you can go with her if you like."

"You didn't have to come for us," Althea said.

"I just wanted to," Roadblock shrugged. "You know." They knew what he really meant was that he wanted to make sure they were safe. That they wouldn't be targets for if there was a traitor around the base. 

"We didn't train that much today," Althea said.

"Well I need to assess Xi's fighting skills some more," Stormshadow said. "And he needs to settle in." They watched as Roadblock took the two away.

"I thought I was a capable warrior," Xi said. "My overconfidence was my downfall." 

"Well that and the fact you were holding back," Stormshadow said. "I could tell. Had this been a life or death match, the outcome might have been more different." 

"Was that wrong?" Xi asked.

"No," Stormshadow shook his head. "Not for training. Something tells me you know when to use your powers to the ultimate. I used to think emotion was useless and got in the way. Sometimes it does." He looked at him. "But sometimes it can be very instructive." 

Xi nodded. Emotion did play a part in the fight. Xi could not stop to think of his surprise of when he was thrown to the ground. 

_Looking into those eyes changed everything, why? _

_I will not allow this strange emotion to ruin my chance at a new unit._ Xi told himself. _At least until I understand it. _


	29. The Blind Master

**The Blind Master**

Not many days later, Todd and the others had another surprise. They were training in the dojo along with Althea's sisters. "Come on Toad!" Althea snapped as Todd was practicing his punches on a punching bag. Althea was holding it for him as well as coaching him. "Come on! Come on! Hey!" 

She looked over to where her sisters were. Todd nearly fell over when he saw the sight himself. Xi was merely sitting there, while the triplets were styling his hair into ponytails. "What the heck is this? A dojo or a beauty salon?" Althea snapped. 

Xi looked at them blinking. "Oh man," Todd shook his head. "How did they con you into that?" 

"They said they wanted to make my hair nice," Xi said. "They did not do that?" 

"And people say I have trouble with people skills," Todd giggled. 

"That's not funny you three!" Althea snapped at her sisters. "Hey Toad, why don't you get some drinks of water while I help Xi out and chew out my sisters?"

"You got it," Todd made a mock salute. He went outside the training area. There was a vending machine nearby that distributed water. With a few deft kicks, Todd managed to get all the water bottles he needed. 

"Did that machine anger you or are you just having a really bad day?" Someone asked.

Todd looked behind him and saw a muscular black man wearing sunglasses, a pair of jeans and a light sweater. "Um just getting some water yo," Todd gulped. 

"You know there's an easier way to do that without beating up a defenseless machine," The man smiled wryly. "Is this the Joe Dojo?" 

"That's what the sign says mister," Todd nodded pointing to the sign. "What are you blind or something?" That was when Todd noticed the man also held in his hand a thin white cane. "Oh…uh sorry bout that."

"No need," The man said. Walking to the machine he lightly tapped the side of it. A water bottle came out to Todd's surprise. "I could use a drink myself." He bent down and took a swing. "Now then shall we go inside?" 

"Uh okay," Todd took his arm. 

"Thank you," The man smiled as they went inside. 

"DARIA DON'T THROW THAT! WATCH OUT!"

A dumbbell flew out of nowhere. With surprising speed, the blind man managed to grab it. "See what you nearly did stupid!" Althea snapped. " Lucky Gabriel was there! You could have hurt somebody!" She took a double take. "Gabriel? GABRIEL!" She ran over with the triplets and they all hugged each other, much to Todd and Xi's surprise.

"Well how are my favorite pupils?" Gabriel laughed. 

"When did you get in?" Althea asked.

"We thought you were still in San Francisco!" Quinn chirped. 

"I thought I heard your voice," Stormshadow appeared. "Good to see you again old friend." 

"Likewise," Gabriel smirked. "In a matter of speaking." 

" Did I miss something? Who is this guy?" Todd asked. 

"Todd this is Gabriel Moore," Stormshadow told him. "Otherwise known as the Blind Master." 

"He's the one who taught me the "Ear That Sees" Technique," Althea explained. "That's how I beat Xi the other day when he turned invisible." 

"What you mean this guy's a real ninja?" Todd blinked. "But if he can't see how…?"

"There is more to fighting than using your eyes," Brittany rolled her eyes. "Any idiot knows that!" 

"That's why he's called the Blind Master, duh!" Quinn said. 

"Sorry," Todd apologized. "I didn't mean no disrespect or nothin'." 

"None taken," Gabriel said. "Of course being a mutant you should know that seeing is not always believing."

"How did you…?" Todd looked at him. "Forget it. It's a ninja thing ain't it?"

"That and the fact I told him about you," Stormshadow said. "Why don't you kids take five while I talk with the Blind Master." They did as they were told. 

"I knew you would come," Stormshadow said when they were alone. 

"I came to check up on the progress of your pupils," Gabriel said. "In particular the one you call Toad."

"He has made excellent progress," Stormshadow told him. "Considering his lack of early training it's amazing."

"We still must be careful Tommy," Gabriel addressed him by his real name. "You of all people know of how serious the situation could become. Masaru is coming soon."

"The leader of the clan?" Stormshadow gasped.

"Somehow Cobra knows about the boy being here, but they only know that he is a mutant. Not that he has become something more," Gabriel told him. "Someone is supplying them with limited information. Someone who wants the boy for themselves. We must not allow that to happen. No matter what." 

**What secret is Stormshadow keeping from Todd? Who is Masaru? To be continued! (Oh by the way, there was a character called the Blind Master from the old Joe comic books. This is just my version of him. Hey it's my fic. I can do what I want!)**


	30. Enter the Villians

**Enter the Villains**

"THIS IS INSUFFERABLE!" Cobra Commander hissed as he threw a vase at his aides. "IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT MAJOR BLUDD COULDN'T HANDLE ONE MEASLY MUTANT, BUT NOW THAT ONE OF OUR OWN CREATIONS IS IN THE JOE'S BASE! SOMEONE WILL PAY!" The aides ran for their lives as he grabbed a spare grenade and it detonated. 

"Throwing a tantrum will not accomplish anything my dear Cobra Commander," The metal mask of Destro glinted in the light. He was used to his leader's temperament. 

"I am the leader of the world's greatest terrorist organization," Cobra Commander hissed beneath his mask. "I have toppled governments, had dozens of world leaders assassinated or blackmailed, blown up more buildings than I can remember and yet I am constantly surrounded by idiots!" 

"True that is a black mark on our record," Destro said. "But if you look at the overall picture it is meaningless. Why concern ourselves with one underdeveloped runt when soon we will have over a dozen well trained mutants at our disposal? The X-Men are the cream of the crop. And the Brotherhood has a few interesting specimens as well. Soon we will be able to control some of the most powerful beings on the planet."

"As always Destro, you have a point," Cobra Commander calmed down. 

"We will gain the mutants from the Joe base in due time," Destro said. "According to our ally's timetable."

"Despite your troops bungling the mutant Toad will soon be in our grasp," Another masked figure emerged from the shadows. "And you shall get the other mutants." 

"Why are you so intent on getting this one mutant Darkshadow?" Cobra Commander asked. 

Darkshadow was dressed in black ninja gear, with only his eyes uncovered. "He has an interesting poison in his system. Poison that would be very helpful to a ninja. I confess that toxins have always been a fascination of mine. The rest you can have for yourself. A mutant that can control water is more useful to you anyway. And the other one is rightfully yours as well. As for the younger ones I'm sure you can find some use for them." 

"Darkshadow ever since the defection of your predecessor Stormshadow you have been an invaluable ally," Cobra Commander said. "I see no harm to begrudge you one little mutant. Especially when soon I will have dozens." 

Darkshadow bowed. "I am at your service Commander."

"You may go," Cobra commander waved. "You have a job to perform do you not?"

"Yes," Darkshadow left the room. _Fool,_ Darkshadow thought. _If he only knew. No matter. Once Toad is in my grasp I can use him to my full advantage. Then I can get the others as well. Yes a mutant that can control water or turn invisible is very valuable. Far too valuable for the likes of that undisciplined idiot! And the younger ones will be easily trained with a little persuasion. Soon, Toad, the Joe mutants, the Brotherhood and the X-Men will be mine! And Cobra Commander will become expendable!_

Meanwhile back in the control room Cobra Commander was thinking. "Well what do you think of Darkshadow's interest in this mutant Destro?" He asked. 

"There is more to this than Darkshadow is telling," Destro said. "He's lying."

"He's a ninja," Cobra Commander snapped. "Of course he's lying. But we need him to get what we want."

"And after?" Destro asked. 

"We simply take the mutant for ourselves of course," Cobra Commander said simply "If Darkshadow puts up a fuss, well he is expendable after all." 


	31. Training

**Training**

Todd's mouth was wide open during the demonstration. Even Xi could not believe it. The Blind Master was demonstrating what could be done with the "Ear That Sees" technique. And very effectively too.

What could be more effective than a blind man juggling seven large working chainsaws at the same time?

"Okay I think you've made your point," Stormshadow told him. "Stop showing off!" 

"What can I say?" Gabriel smiled as he easily put down the chainsaws and turned them off as easily as a regular person would put down a towel. "It's the performer in me!" 

"Man you are good," Todd blinked. 

"You could be too if you apply yourself," Stormshadow told him.

"Uh I dunno if I wanna juggle chainsaws," Todd gulped. "Couldn't I start out with apples or something less likely to cut my throat?" 

"Don't worry," Gabriel said. "That won't be for a very long time yet. Now I want to judge your fighting skills." He went into the arena.

"Are you sure?" Todd asked.

"For crying out loud Toad," Althea groaned. "Trust me. You're not gonna hurt him!"

"Okay boy," Gabriel smiled. "Let's see what you got." 

"Okay," Todd leapt at him and was easily deflected away by a swift kick. Todd attacked again, only to be knocked away again. He leapt around and over Gabriel's head and kicked, but it was blocked effectively. Then Gabriel did a spin kick that Todd nearly dodged. Wobbly he got up and to the astonishment of Stormshadow and everyone else he repeated the exact same move and nearly hit the Blind Master. Gabriel barely had time to dodge out of the way. Todd repeated the move again and managed to knock the man down this time.

"Oh man I didn't mean to kick so hard," Todd gulped looking over him. "I'm sorr-OOOF!" The Blind Master got up and quickly punched Todd in the stomach.

"Lesson number one," Gabriel told him. "Never feel sorry for an opponent." He leapt at him. Todd managed to duck and roll away. 

Without thinking Todd shot his tongue out and grabbed Gabriel's leg, causing him to go off balance. Todd leapt forward and tried to punch, but found it blocked by Gabriel. Gabriel got to his feet somehow and they traded punches, but it was clear that Gabriel was faster. He easily blocked Todd's punches and got many hits in. 

Todd shot out his tongue again, but this time Gabriel dodged it. The next thing Todd knew he was down on the floor. "Oh man I lost again," Todd groaned. 

"Those legs of yours are impressive. But you need to build on your arm strength," The Blind Master told him as he helped him up. "Also you're relying too much on your tongue for your attacks. That's a weakness." 

"You don't want me to use my tongue any more?" Todd blinked.

"No just use it more selectively," Gabriel told him. "You lasted longer than I thought though. So you obviously have learned something from Stormshadow. Althea bring those weights there will you?"

"These," She umpped as she dragged along several heavy arm and leg weights. Stormshadow helped her put them on Todd's arms and legs. 

"Man these are heavy!" Todd complained. "How much do these things weigh anyway!" 

"Only 45 lbs. each," Stormshadow said. 

"WHAT?" Todd gasped.

"From now on you'll be working with the weights to increase strength and endurance," Gabriel said. 

"Oh goody," Todd grumbled as he strained to walk with the huge weights on his arms and legs. "Aw man this is seriously cramping my style."

"What style?" Althea asked. 

"Ha ha," Todd glared at her. 

"Now Althea why don't you take Todd and Xi outside for more training?" Stormshadow asked.

"Okay," Althea said. "Race ya!"

"Hey no fair!" Todd followed last, hopping slowly behind. 

"Improving huh?" Gabriel looked at Stormshadow.

"If you'd seen him when he first came…" Stormshadow told him.

"I know, I know," Gabriel sighed. "Still, for him to improve that much in a short amount of time is impressive. And he copied my technique just by watching me. So I suppose he is learning something! We don't have much time before Masaru comes. He needs to improve more."

"What if he's not impressed?" Stormshadow asked. 

"Don't worry, he will be," Gabriel told him. "That's not the problem. The problem is he might be impressed enough to take the boy back to Japan. I take it you haven't told Roadblock about that possibility yet?"

"No," Stormshadow said. "You know that would be a mistake!"

"I agree," Gabriel sighed. "God forbid, if the worst ever happens, that bond with Roadblock may be the only thing that might save us all." 


	32. Getting Into More Trouble

**Getting Into More Trouble**

"Oh man what a workout," Todd groaned as he got the last of the weights off. "My arms and legs feel like they're gonna fall off any minute!"

"You're such a crybaby sometimes," Althea shook her head. "I did that about a year ago and I didn't cry about it!" 

"It is odd that someone who's supposed to be a warrior does not act like it at times," Xi said.

"Hey I'm a kid so sue me!" Todd snapped. 

"You just better shape up or else I'm gonna…" She grabbed him and tickled him relentlessly.

"Okay, Okay I give!" Todd gasped with laughter.

"So no more complaining?" Althea looked at him in the eye.

"Nope. So tell me more about the Blind Master," Todd asked. "He don't exactly look like no normal ninja." 

"How does a ninja supposed to look?" Xi smirked with amusement.

"Gotta point there," Todd said. 

"Well he was a Vietnam Vet who ended up stationed in Japan during the end of the war," Althea explained. "I don't know the whole story but he was taken in by Stormshadow's clan shortly after he lost his sight in an accident." 

"So let me get this straight," Xi said. "Stormshadow is part of a clan of ninjas and the Blind Master was adopted into it."

"Yes, the Arashikage Clan has been around for centuries, but their numbers had severely dwindled around the time of the Vietnam War," Althea told him. "So it was decided that the clan 'adopt' a few chosen members by their leader the Hard Master and his brother, the Soft Master. They allowed Stormshadow to bring in the Blind Master and his friend whom we now call Snake Eyes. He's a Joe too. You remember him, he's the one that doesn't talk and is always covered up. Stormshadow's cousin is a Joe too. Her name is Jinx." 

"Is she the one on that mission that's watching my old hangout?" Todd asked.

"That's her," Althea said.

"What?" Xi asked.

"Bayville," Todd explained. "My old home. You know I told you about the Brotherhood and the X-Geeks."

"Oh. I still find it hard to believe there are mutants that exist that have not been created in a lab," Xi said.

"Hey can I finish this story or not?" Althea snapped. "Anyway a few other select people were brought into the clan that were chosen by the Hard and Soft Masters and Stormshadow, who was called the Young Master then."

"Young Master?" Todd interrupted.

"Because of his age at the time," Althea explained. "He was the youngest person in the history of his clan to achieve a high status."

"Then how come he's called Stormshadow now?" Xi asked.

"Yeah I was wondering about that," Todd said.

"Well if you two would stop interrupting she'd tell you that Arashikage roughly translated means Stormshadow," Quinn piped up. 

Althea looked and saw her sisters and baby brother behind her. "How long have you been standing there?" 

"Long enough to hear the start of the story," Daria said, trying to hold the fidgeting Claudius. "Dad dropped the baby off, he wants us to watch him for a while."

"Actually he said for you to watch us until dinner," Brittany said. "He and Roadblock had some stuff to do. I think Dad blew up another paper shredder again."

"Oh great," Althea rolled her eyes as Claudius wriggled out of his sister's arms and made a beeline for Todd. "Rugrat duty."

"Hey it's okay," Todd said. "We'll help you watch 'em. And me and Little C get along real good," He picked up the baby and held him in his lap. "Don't we little guy?" 

Claudius giggled some more. Then made a squeal of fright when he saw Xi. "Hey hey, it's okay," Todd patted him. "It's just Xi. You remember him. He won't hurt you." 

Claudius sniffed and buried his face into Todd's chest. "Don't take it too personally," Quinn told Xi. "He's like that with almost everyone at first. He just needs to get used to you, that's all." 

"So now can I finish this story?" Althea said impatiently.

"Yeah you're getting to the good part," Daria said as they all sat down around in a circle.

"Where was I?" Althea asked herself. "Oh yes, the three masters were trying to build up the clan again. Unfortunately the Hard Master did not choose as wisely as the others did. He chose a man who would one day betray them. At the time he called himself Atnzar, but that was not his real name. Atnzar was brought into the clan and trained to be one of them, but he had a more sinister purpose. An outsider clan had hired him to destroy the clan. You see, an evil man tried to get the Hard Master to lead the clan to work for him and his organization. But the Hard Master saw that the man was evil and unworthy and refused. The man vowed revenge."

"That guy was Cobra Commander," Quinn said. "The leader and founder of Cobra."

"Who's telling this story you or me?" Althea snapped. "Anyway one dark night, the Hard Master was assassinated by Atnzar. However he was clever and framed the Young Master for the murder. The Young Master was forced to flee for his life in disgrace and eventually became Stormshadow in order to discover the true identity of the killer and regain his honor. It would not be many years until he learned that it was Cobra Commander who put a contract on the Hard Master's life and that the man who killed him was Zartan, a mercenary." 

"Wow," Todd remarked. "This is better than a soap opera." 

"Anyway with both the Young Master and the Hard Master gone, only the Soft Master remained," Althea said. "But soon clan infighting destroyed him as well. Only the Blind Master was able to bring peace back to the clan after many years and appoint a new leader, the New Master. Blind Master is now second in command of the clan." 

"That's some story yo," Todd shook his head. "Whad'ya think little guy?" 

Claudius looked up at him and smiled. Then he looked at Xi again. He squirmed in Todd's grasp, indicating by yelps he wanted to check Xi out. "You wanna see Xi?" Todd plopped him into Xi's lap. "Here ya go."

"Um," Xi said uneasily. "I have no experience with young ones."

"No big deal," Todd said. "Just hold him for a few minutes so he doesn't get scared of you no more. That's it. You're doing great. See, he likes you." 

Claudius looked up at Xi and giggled some more. "Zai," he giggled. 

Xi patted him gently on the head. "He can also breathe water like you," Xi stated.

"Yup," Althea nodded. "Swims like a fish too. Well a seal actually but you get the picture."

Xi looked at Claudius. "That is not all he can do," Xi said. "He also has the potential for some kind of telepathy, perhaps when he's older."

"What?" Todd's jaw dropped. "You tellin' me he's gonna be a mind reader?" 

"You mean you can tell what kind of powers he can develop?" Quinn asked.

"If it is in his gene code, yes," Xi said. 

"Cool!" Brittany said. "Do me next!" 

"Hey I wanna do it first!" Quinn said.

"Tough I asked first!" Brittany snapped and stuck her tongue. 

"I'm going first!" Daria shoved Brittany.

"Quit it!" Brittany shoved back.

"Make me!" Daria snapped. Soon all three of them were bickering and shoving.

"Um shouldn't you do something?" Todd asked.

"Nah they do this all the time," Althea said. "As long as they ain't fighting us it doesn't matter. They'll get tired of it soon enough."

"What are you kids doing loitering out here?" Beach Head snapped as he saw them.

"We're just talking and hanging out ya know," Todd shrugged.

"Well go hang out somewhere else!" He snapped. "This is an army base not a playground! Now scram!" Todd, Althea and Xi took off running with Claudius. The triplets ignored him, still fighting among themselves. "I said scram!" 

The triplets stopped fighting and exchanged looks. "Hey Beach Head," Quinn smiled. "We wanna show you something." 

"Man what a jerk!" Todd snapped when the other mutants were a ways away. 

"Yeah, you know I secretly hope that he's a spy so we can get rid of him," Althea snapped. "Hey you three…." She looked around. "Where are the girls?"

"I thought they were right behind us!" Todd looked around.

"We should find them," Xi said.

"Yeah before they do any real damage!" Althea said. "Come on!" They looked around for the girls. They found them soon enough in an empty office. "What are you doing?"

"Help me!" Beach Head shouted. He was tied to a chair with his ski mask off. He had lipstick all over his face. His boots were off as well and Quinn was tickling them with a feather duster. 

"We have ways of making you talk," Daria smirked.

"We think Beach Head may be the spy," Brittany said.

"Oh now that is…" Althea said.

"Wait a minute," Todd stopped her with an evil grin. "Let's not be too hasty. They may have a point."

"WHAT?" Beach Head shouted. "Oh no now listen here you little…"

"Quiet!" Daria grabbed a flashlight and shone it on BeachHead's face. "We will ask the questions!"

"Get that outta my face!" Beach Head snapped. 

"Are you the spy?" Todd shined the light on Beach Head.

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Beach Head shouted. 

"Hey I know how to make him talk!" Brittany said. "Let's do the old Number Seven! I can get some flour and sausages easy."

"Where are we gonna get a cocker spaniel stupid?" Daria rolled her eyes. 

"Let's use his head for a bongo!" Quinn took Claudius and he happily smacked his flippers on Beach Head's head.

"Stop it!" Beach Head shouted. "I am not a spy! I am not a spy!" 

"WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING?" Roadblock shouted as he walked in.

"We think Beach Head is a spy," Daria said matter of factly.

"They did it!" Althea pointed at the triplets. "We didn't do anything to him."

"You didn't exactly stop it either," Roadblock shook his finger. 

"Roadblock get me away from these crazy kids!" Beach Head groaned. 

So that was how the kids ended up in the kitchen doing K.P. that evening. "This bites," Todd grumbled. "We didn't even do nothin' yo!" 

"Well we were responsible for the triplets," Xi said. 

"We're not that responsible for them," Todd said. "It's Althea who's responsible for them!"

"Oh thanks a lot!" Althea snapped. Then she heard something breaking. "Oh no, now what are they doing back there?" She stormed off into the back room. 

"You gotta admit it was funny when they put all that lipstick on Beach Head," Todd snickered.

"Well…" Xi managed to smile. "I kind of liked the idea of using his head for a bongo."

"Yeah it's sure empty enough," Todd smirked. At this they both erupted in laughter. 

"I ain't never heard you laugh before!" Todd laughed.

"I don't think I've ever laughed before," Xi snickered. Then he sobered up.

"Cheer up!" Todd said playfully punching him on the arm. Then he made a face. "I am Beach Head! No fun for you!" He mocked in a deep funny voice.

Xi started to laugh again. "I must admit that is an apt description." 

Todd found some towels and wrapped his head up so only his eyes can be seen. "It's the army way or the highway!" He imitated Beach Head again, strutting around. "I have to wear this mask because I am so ugly! I am a perfect leader and everyone around me is an idiot! Are you laughing at me soldier? Huh? Are you?" At this Xi laughed even harder and found himself on the floor. 

"S-stop," Xi giggled looking up. "T-Toad…stop." 

"Don't tell me to stop soldier!" Todd mocked some more. "I am your superior officer! I am above you in rank! I am…" He looked up and saw BeachHead glowering behind him. He was not happy. Todd removed the towels and waved feebly.

"I am not very happy!" BeachHead snarled making a fist. That was when Xi hit him in the face with a pie. 

"Roadblock!" He screamed as the two scampered off. 

"Aw man that was classic!" Todd laughed as they made a getaway to the outside. "I didn't know you had it in you Xi!"

"I did not know I had it in me myself," Xi smiled. "There is something about you that causes me to laugh."

"Hey I'm a regular comedian you know!" Todd hopped up and hung from a tree.

"We are going to get in trouble you know," Xi told him.

"Yeah," Todd smirked. "Wanna help me put some slime in his desk?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Xi smirked back as the two conspirators ran off. 


	33. Flushing Out the Truth

**Flushing Out the Truth**

"I must admit Commander for once this was an excellent idea," Destro remarked as they watched the monitor. They could see Hawk's office. "This is the perfect way to keep track of the Joes. But do you think it's wise to put all the listening bugs in the office at the same time?" 

"Destro I want to know everything that goes on in Hawk's office," Cobra Commander told him. "Every word he speaks, every thought or idea. Having all three bugs in there ensures that." 

Bugs was the operative word. In the office were three tiny mechanical flies. They were tiny contraptions that allowed Cobra to see and hear everything going on base. Cobra Commander had used them before for smaller operations, and now he was using them on the base. 

Hawk, Roadblock, Shipwreck, and Beach Head were in his office. "So this New Master will be coming soon to check on the progress of the kids huh?" Hawk said. 

"Yeah even give them a few pointers," Roadblock said. "They're doing real well now. They're gonna do so well they're gonna make him say wow!"

"I think what Roadblock is trying to say is that the kids have been working hard and will impress the guy," Shipwreck said. 

"Good now to the business at hand, trying to find who the heck is compromising the base," Hawk sighed.

"It's not me!" Beach Head snapped. "I don't know why the kids think it's me!"

"Gee I have no idea, just because you yell at them all the time…" Shipwreck snickered.

"If you'd learn to train those little lunatics I'd…" BeachHead snapped. 

"That's enough both of you!" Roadblock told them. "General what are we gonna do?"

"I do have one idea," Hawk said. "We could set a trap for the spy."

"Bring camera one in closer," Cobra Commander told his aide. "I want a closer look." The aide did so, maneuvering the fly by remote control. "Yes General Hawk, please tell me your plan, so that I can use it against you. Oh there are days when I just love my job!" 

"Now here's what we are going to do…" Hawk started to say. 

Suddenly Todd's face appeared on the monitor. "Oooh, snack time!" Todd grinned. 

Todd licked his lips and his eyes twinkled. "Oh no," Destro gulped. "I think I can see where this is going." 

SSHHHLLUUURRRP! 

"THAT IS DISGUSTING!" Cobra Commander screamed as he got a very clear picture of Todd's insides.

"Get the other ones out of there before he eats them all!" Destro shouted. 

SSHHHLLURRRP! SHHHHLLURRRP!

"Never mind," Destro groaned. 

Back in the office Todd was choking down the last fly. "Ugh!" He spat it out on the desk. "These flies taste awful yo!"

"Toad!" Beach Head snapped. "Stop losing your lunch on the general's desk!" 

"Wait a minute," Hawk glimpsed a shine of metal. "This isn't an insect…" He got some tweezers and a magnifying glass. "I think Toad here just discovered how Cobra's getting their information." 

Twenty minutes later…

"Amazing," A Joe was examining the tiny fly. "I've never seen anything like it."

"So this is how Cobra's been getting their information," Hawk said. 

"Can you tell exactly how long this thing has been spying on us Dial Tone?" Duke asked the communications/electronics expert. 

"I have to run a diagnostic to make sure but from the looks of it I say a good three or four months," He told them. "Are there any more?"

"Well…" Hawk looked to the other side of the room. 

Roadblock knocked on the bathroom door. "You okay in there?"

"I just need a few more minutes," Todd groaned. 

"Don't forget to flush," Shipwreck smirked.

Back at the Cobra Base, Cobra Commander was having another tantrum. He whacked a large chair repeatedly against the wall. "THAT STUPID LITTLE FROG IS GOING TO SUFFER FOR THIS! DO YOU HEAR ME! HE WILL SUFFER!" 

"Calm down Cobra Commander," Destro said. "It's not like we can't make any more you know. I did advise caution as you recall."

"Oh shut up," Cobra Commander sulked. 

"No matter," Darkshadow appeared. "So they found the bugs. This is a fortuitous turn for us." 

"And exactly how is that?" Cobra Commander hissed. 

"Because now that they have discovered one of our means of spying on the mutant," Darkshadow said smoothly. "Their guard will be down when the real informant strikes." 


	34. The New Master

**Okay, I'm finally getting to the real exciting stuff. Get ready for some real roller coaster surprises ****and shocks! **

**The New Master**

The clacks of the wooden Bo staffs hitting each other filled the dojo. Stormshadow watched with approval as the three young fighters trained in a mock combat. The 'battle' pit each one against the other. Despite the weights on Todd's arms and legs, it looked like he was the clear victor in the fight. After several minutes he easily knocked down Althea and Xi to their surprise.

"Enough," Stormshadow halted the battle. He looked them over carefully. "Althea you keep leaving your left side open to attack. Xi you are too impulsive. Todd watch your opponents more carefully and look for their weaknesses."

"I must admit they are impressive. They handle those staffs better than some warriors twice their age," A voice spoke. They looked towards the speaker. A tall man of Japanese descent glided into the room. He looked about in his late thirties and early forties. He wore a cream white suit with a carnation in his buttonhole. "Greetings Stormshadow," he spoke in a cultured accent.

"Greetings Master," Stormshadow bowed. Althea motioned for Todd and Xi to follow suit. 

"It is good to see you again Althea," Masaru spoke. "And you must be Todd."

"Hello," Todd said quietly. 

"And you are Xi," Masaru looked at him. Xi nodded politely. "I can see that Stormshadow and the Blind Master have trained you well."

"Thank you Master," Althea deferred. "You honor us with your praise."

"I am merely speaking the truth," Masaru smiled. "Although you must listen to your teacher. There is always room for improvement in even the greatest of warriors. Stormshadow, if you do not mind, I would like to speak to Todd alone in private. Is there a place we can talk?"

Stormshadow nodded and pointed to a small office. Todd could barely hide his shock. "Be polite," Althea hissed and elbowed him in the back as he went to speak with the master. 

Todd followed Masaru into the room. He tried not to fidget as Masaru looked him over. "You handle that Bo staff well," He finally spoke. "How long have you been training with it?" 

"Only a few weeks sir," Todd tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"That long? And yet you already handle it like an expert. I have been hearing interesting things about you Todd."

"Uh oh," Todd gulped involuntarily.

Masaru smiled. "Don't worry, I recall some activities in my youth that were…less than dignified myself. They treat you well here?"

"Yes Master Masaru," Todd nodded. "I mean they treat me pretty good here. A lot nicer than… than my old place."

"I can imagine," Masaru smiled. "I am impressed with your skills. Not only yours, but Althea's and Xi's as well. Perhaps it is time to direct your training in other ways. I would like to give you some personal instruction, if you wish."

"REALLY!" Todd's eyes lit up. Then he remembered himself. "Um…yes Master Masaru. I'd like that a lot!"

"Excellent," Masaru smiled. "Could you please send in Xi? I would like to speak with him and extend the same offer."

"Oh yeah sure!" Todd bowed several times. "Sure! Right away! Thank you sir! It's an honor!" Todd nearly walked into the door on his way out. 

Soon Xi was ushered in. "You wished to speak with me?" Xi asked.

"Yes, there is something I need to know," Masaru said. "You were created by Cobra were you not?"

Xi nodded. "If you fear that I have any loyalties towards Cobra, I can assure you, they died long before my kin were slaughtered by them."

"I see," Masaru said quietly. "Tell me young one, what do you think of your companions?"

"I take it you are referring more to Todd than Althea," Xi said.

"Very perceptive," Masaru said evenly. "You also speak directly."

"I do not believe in speaking otherwise," Xi told him. "I have learned it is the best way for a true warrior to behave. I have seen enough false flattery and deceptions by Cobra. I have no wish to emulate them in any form." 

"That is a good code for a warrior," Masaru nodded. 

"May I ask you a question?" Xi inquired. "Why are you and the Blind Master really here? I know your interest is more in Todd than Althea and myself. What is it about him that merits the attention of a Ninja Clan Master? There is more to him than meets the eye isn't there?"

Masaru lifted an eyebrow. "You perceive that?"

"Yes," Xi said. "I don't know why he interests you so much, but…" Xi stopped and looked at Masaru long and hard. "If he is in danger, I will not have him or Althea harmed if I can help it." 

Masaru looked at Xi. "Yes I can see I can trust you. Your friend is in great danger."

"What is going on?" Xi asked.

"There are those that want to use your friend for their own means," Masaru explained. "People who want Todd because he is a mutant. He has far more potential as a warrior than he knows. If these people get a hold of him, he could be an unstoppable force for evil. That must not happen." 

"It wasn't just the bugs that Todd found," Xi said. "There is a traitor isn't there?" 

Masaru turned away for a moment. "Technically he is not a traitor, He has been brainwashed by Cobra. He doesn't know he's betraying us. He is a pawn." 

"Why can't we simply tell Hawk and the others who he is?" Xi asked. 

"Because Cobra implanted a subliminal message to assassinate anyone who would be too close to threatening his mission," Masaru told Xi. "We cannot take the chance of anyone else getting hurt, especially Althea and the others." 

"I understand," Xi nodded. "Who is the traitor?"

"You must not tell anyone who it is, understand?" Masaru told him.

"I understand," Xi nodded. "Who is it?" 

"It's Stormshadow." 


	35. Curiosity

**If you thought the last chapter was a shocker, wait until you read this one! Xi's secret revealed! What can I say? I'm evil with a twisted sense of humor!**

**Curiosity**

The next few days were filled with training. Masaru decided to personally train the young mutants, taking over from Stormshadow for a while. Not that Stormshadow minded, training with the New Master was an honor. He explained to Roadblock that the New Master was really observing their fighting techniques. Secretly he hoped that it wasn't something more. 

Later one afternoon after practicing some kicks, the New Master went out of the room for a while. Althea decided that it was time for her to practice a certain move of her own. The next thing Todd knew, Althea tackled him and was kissing him.

"Aw…man," Todd giggled, not really minding the attention.

Xi stared at them as if they were insane. "Aw, Althea…cut it out! Come on!" Todd gasped for breath. "We got an audience yo!"

"Oops," Althea blushed. "Sorry, I just can't help myself sometimes. I just can't get enough of my Toddles!"

"Aw Althea," Todd moaned. "Not that nickname! And in front of Xi!"

Xi rapidly turned around. "I think I'll go train over here," He walked away.

"What's wrong with him?" Althea asked.

"You made him uncomfortable yo," Todd snapped. He broke free and walked after him. 

"Can I help it if I'm an affectionate person?" Althea grumbled. 

"Hey yo Xi!" Todd called out. He caught up to him. "Sorry about that, but you know sometimes it's hard for her to keep her hands off me, if you know what I mean?"

"Not really." Xi kept walking. 

"You've been really quiet lately," Todd said.

"I am merely trying to improve my concentration," Xi told him. 

"Oh," Todd said. They walked together silently. Then Todd said. "Are you mad at me or something?"

"What?" Xi stopped. "What makes you think that?" 

"Well whenever Althea and I are together you seem to clam up," Todd said. "That's it ain't it? You're jealous!"

"WHAT?" Xi yelped.

"Hey it's okay, I'd be jealous too if I didn't have a honey like Althea," Todd said. "I mean I know how you feel. I used to dream of having a girl like her. One day you'll find someone like her!" He slapped Xi on the back. 

"Todd," Masaru appeared. "Would you come with me please? There's something I wish to show you."

"Uh okay," Todd said. "See ya Xi!" He followed Masaru into a darkened room. "Sensei, what is it you wanna show me?" 

"It's a little exercise I want you to do," He guided him to a table with a single candle was lit. 

"I want you to focus on the flame," Masaru told him. "Watch it. Look through the center."

Todd did as he was told to. "Concentrate," Masaru told him. "Focus on the light within. Notice that the colors are different." 

"Yeah…They are…" 

"Do you feel the warmth of the flame?"

"Yes," Todd started to feel strange. 

"Keep focusing…Good. Now pretend that the flame is dying out. It needs light to sustain it. Focus on it." 

Todd did, listening to Masaru's voice. Then he felt it, something warm and powerful coursing through his entire body. He felt lighter. Almost like he was floating.

"That's enough," A gentle pressure on his arm made Todd come back to his senses. "How did that feel?" Masaru asked him.

"Weird," Todd said. "But…good. Like I was stronger…more powerful."

"Yes your training is coming along fine," Masaru smiled. "I think that is enough for today…oh there is one little thing. Don't tell Stormshadow about this little exercise."

"Why?" Todd asked.

"Well to be quite honest," Masaru said. "I want to surprise him. I think the end result of your training in this technique will impress him." 

"Oh I get it!" Todd's eyes twinkled with mischief. 

"Yes, it will be our secret," Masaru smiled, knowing Stormshadow would get the surprise of his life.

************************************************************************

While Todd was training with Masaru Xi was wandering around the dojo. Xi had given up trying to train. The sight of Todd and Althea kissing each other had been somehow unnerving, but had no idea why. He saw Althea and came up to her. He didn't know what to say or how to say it exactly. Dealing with people other than like himself was unlike anything he had even done before. 

"Hey Xi what's up?" Althea asked. "You look a little zoned out. Um, What is it?"

"What is it like…to kiss someone?" Xi asked. 

"What?" Althea blinked. "Oh I guess you wouldn't have ever…um…well…It's nice." She blushed. 

"Why do you do it?" 

"Well because it feels good," It was the first thing Althea could think of. "That's just what you do to show affection to someone you really care about."

"May I try it with you?" Xi asked.

"No you may not!" Althea snapped. "The only one I wanna kiss is Todd! You don't just go kiss people because you want to see what it's like you know!" 

"You don't?" Xi asked.

"No!" Althea snapped.

"But don't you do that with Toad?" Xi asked.

"That's different!" Althea snapped. "I do it because I…I like him a lot." 

"And because you like him a lot it's okay to kiss him?"

"Yes." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah, look Xi I'm flattered that you want to kiss me but…"

"You only want to kiss Todd."

"Yes."

"Oh," Xi said it without pain. "I understand."

"Okay, look I gotta go. I'm sorry I don't share your exact feelings. You're a nice guy and all but…"

"Althea it's all right," Xi smiled. "If you do not wish to kiss me I understand."

"Okay um…Hey Todd!" Todd came out. "What's going on? Where'd you go?"

"Oh Master Masaru wanted to see me about something," Todd waved it off. "Come on let's do some more training."

A few hours later they were all tired and hot. "Man I guess I must be getting used to water if I wanna take a shower," He headed towards the men's locker. "You coming Xi?"

Xi followed. "See you later," Althea turned and walked the other way. She didn't get very far when a thought hit her head. _Todd…in the shower…_She grinned and decided that she had a much more interesting idea. She snuck silently back and when she was sure no one was looking, crept into the men's locker. 

Meanwhile Todd had just stripped of his clothing and entered the men's shower. He lathered up, not noticing Xi quietly entering. Not until Xi was right next to him. "Geeze Xi you gave me a heart attack or something! You don't just sneak up on a guy in the…what are you doing?" He asked when Xi came closer. Xi then bent his head down and kissed Todd, who yelped in astonishment.

"Xi what the heck…?" He then noticed Xi wasn't wearing anything at all. And to his shock noticed that Xi was missing something vital from his anatomy. Or more specifically three things.

At that exact moment Althea was sneaking around in the men's locker room, ready to get a peek at Todd. She was about to poke her head into the shower when she heard him scream, "XI WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE A GIRL?!" 

"WHAT?!" Althea ran in and her first instinct at seeing the two of them naked was to sock Xi in the jaw. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING WITH MY BOYFRIEND?" 

"I didn't do anything!" Todd yelped, trying to cover himself and protect himself at the same time. "I didn't do anything! He…She came in here! I did nothing!" 

"Quiet Todd! And as for you! Wait a minute…" Althea looked at Xi. "Something is not right here…Xi what the heck are you?"

"What's all the racket around here?" Lifeline came in. His jaw dropped when he saw the scene. "Oh my…"

"Lifeline what exactly is Xi?" Althea shouted. Xi embarrassed chose that moment to become invisible.

"For once I wish I had Xi's power," Todd groaned. 

Ten minutes later a fully clothed Todd and Althea were in Lifeline's office. "And that's what happened I didn't do anything I swear!" Todd whined. 

"Oh forget that Todd," Althea snapped, not really caring what kind of trouble she was in for the moment. "Lifeline what exactly is Xi?" 

"Xi…is …well the closest I can think of is asexual," Lifeline explained. 

"What does that mean?" Todd looked at him.

"He…uh…well isn't exactly a he," Lifeline fumbled. "Or a she. Actually, Xi doesn't have a gender." 

"What?" Althea said.

"Xi does not have sexual organs like most people have," Lifeline explained. 

"Huh?" Todd looked at him like he spoke another language. "So what does he have? Nothing?"

"Well…technically…yes," Lifeline said not really sure on how to explain the exact medical terminology to them. Partially because he wasn't sure himself. 

"Why?" Todd asked. "Why doesn't he have…I mean she…Why is Xi…Xi?"

"My guess is Cobra wanted their ultimate soldiers to concentrate only on fighting," Lifeline told him. "I suppose they thought little things like …sexual desires would get in the way. In theory it would make them incapable of thinking about…well…"

"Well you can certainly throw that theory out the window," Todd groaned. 

"I don't think Xi was trying to…do what you think Xi was doing," Lifeline told him.

"Well you could have fooled me!" Althea snapped. 

"I think Xi was just…curious," Lifeline said. 

"Curious?" Todd blinked. 

"Xi doesn't…feel the same desires most people feel," Lifeline struggled to explain. "I mean Xi does feel some things the same. Obviously Xi has a little crush on you Todd. But Xi doesn't have the same hormones."

"Oh man this is not happening," Todd groaned.

"Think of it more like a little kid has a crush on someone," Lifeline tried to explain again.

"Excuse me?" Althea blinked. "Xi wasn't acting like a little kid!" 

"Neither were you!" Todd snapped. "You're worse than Xi. At least he…um…At least Xi didn't know he was doing wrong. Xi's not a 'he' I know. I know. I don't even know the right pronoun to describe…Xi. Oh man I knew I should have stayed awake in English class!" 

"Where the heck did Xi think you could just show affection like that by kissing without any warning?" Althea snapped. Todd gave her a look. "Oh yeah," She blushed. 

"And just what were **you **doing in the Boy's Shower young lady?" Shipwreck stormed in with Roadblock behind. "I can't believe this? What were you thinking? Don't answer that!"

Roadblock glared at Todd. "I didn't do anything!" Todd shouted. "I was just in the shower minding my own business when Xi…then Althea…! Oh man! Who would have thought being irresistible could be such a curse!" 

"How could you do something like this?" Shipwreck groaned. 

"Gee I wonder where she got it from?" Roadblock groaned.

"Hey it was just as much your kid's fault!" Shipwreck snapped. Then he put his head in his hands. "Who am I kidding?" 

"Dad you're overreacting," Althea said.

"Oh I'm overreacting," Shipwreck mocked. "My fifteen year old daughter likes to attack boys in the shower and I'm overreacting?"

"Actually she attacked Xi and Xi's not a…"Todd started, Shipwreck glared at him. "I think I'll shut up now." 

"You are such a hypocrite," Althea snapped. "How old were you when you started peeking into girl's locker rooms? Huh Dad?"

"This is not about me!" Shipwreck snapped. 

"If I was a guy you wouldn't be freaking out about me peeking," Althea crossed her arms.

"If you were a guy peeking into men's showers I'd especially be freaking out!" Shipwreck shouted.

"You know what I mean!" Althea snapped. 

"All right!" Roadblock shouted. "Look obviously we each need to have a little talk with our kids about…things."

"Maybe Bree or one of the other women on the base should talk to Althea," Lifeline suggested.

"Where do you think I got the idea for peeking in the shower from?" Althea told them. 

"What?" Shipwreck yelped. 

"I thought we plastered that hole!" Roadblock groaned. 

"Bree made a new one," Althea said. 

"WHAT?!" Lifeline snapped. 

"We have got to have a looooong talk with these kids," Roadblock groaned. "We need some serious damage control."

"It's Xi I'm worried about," Lifeline sighed. "If you guys are confused just think about what Xi's going through."

************************************************************************

Xi was kicking the punching bag in the dojo fiercely, humiliated. Masaru appeared behind him. Xi whirled around to fight, but when he saw who it was backed down. "Master…"

"There is no need," Masaru told him. "I heard."

"I…I just wanted to show Todd that I…I liked him," Xi said. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong."

"Xi what happened was not your fault," Masaru told him. "You were bred and trained to be the perfect warrior. Through contact with those two and their hormones it's only natural that you would be confused. Yes, I know that he is your friend and he will forgive you in time. But you are not meant to have the kind of relationships that ordinary men and women have."

"I know that, now," Xi said dejectedly.

"Do not be sad," Masaru put his hand on his shoulder. "In a way it's fortunate that this happened. A lesson has been learned here. You are better off putting your energies towards fighting. That is what you are meant to do. That is what you are destined to do. Now that you know that, nothing can stand in your way. Not even Stormshadow."

"Yes," Xi said with a determined look. "I must not forget what you told me."

"Now I did not say that you could not be friends with Todd," Masaru told him. "But that is all. You must not let anything else distract you from protecting him from Stormshadow. The time is coming soon when he will strike. Will you help me?"

"Yes," Xi said. "Of course I will."

"Good," Masaru nodded. "If we are not careful, we may lose him. You may be the only one who can keep him away from Stormshadow." 


	36. Betrayal

**What you say? It's impossible for a character not to have any gender? Hey it's fiction people, anything can happen. And in my fics anything can. **

**Betrayal**

"So did you get the third degree from Roadblock?" Althea asked the next day. 

"Not really, we just talked about stuff for hours. I don't think he was really mad at me 'cause I didn't get in trouble," Todd said. "You?"

"Hoo boy! What a night!" Althea rolled her eyes. "The only thing that saved my butt was that I remembered a few choice incidents from Dad's past, and some of them weren't that far back. My sisters are driving me crazy with questions. And I think even Claudius is catching on because he's looking at me like I'm a lunatic." 

"Well you shouldn't have snuck in like that!" Todd fumed. "I'm still mad at you." 

"I said I was sorry!" Althea turned red. "I was just…curious."

"Yeah well how would you like it if I was 'curious' with you huh?" Todd snapped. Then he saw the look on Althea's face. "Are you serious?" 

"I don't know why you haven't snuck a peek at me before," Althea grinned.

"I am not really quite sure how to respond to that," Todd turned red and gulped. 

"DON'T!" Shipwreck shouted, peeking his head around the corner.

"D-AAAAAD!" Althea shouted. "Todd wouldn't do anything!"

"Of course not," Shipwreck snapped. "**Him** I trust! **You** on the other hand is quite a different story!" 

"Oh god," Althea groaned.

"I don't want you taking advantage of this nice innocent boy at least until you two are seniors!" Shipwreck snapped. "Call me old fashioned but once you guys are near graduation you can do whatever you want!" 

"Dad you are so embarrassing me!" Althea snapped.

"Well somebody has to protect this boy's virtue!" Shipwreck snapped. 

"Why are you losing it?" Althea asked. "It's not like we were making out or anything. I mean you knew stuff like this was gonna happen!"

"Yes I did," Shipwreck said. "I tried to tell myself in a mature and rational manner. But then I realized I don't have to be mature and rational about this! I'm a father! I have the right to be as insane and as irrational as I want! If I didn't think you two were such a perfect match I would forbid you to see him again!"

"Yeah like that would happen," Althea snapped at him.

"Yeah well fortunately I'm not that irrational," Shipwreck snapped. 

"Since when have you ever been rational?" Althea snapped. "It's not like I set up a camera in…"

"Okay that's enough of that!" Shipwreck turned pale. 

"I thought so," Althea smirked. 

"Don't give me that smirk young lady as if you've won anything," Shipwreck said. 

"Does this phrase sound familiar Dad? 'Attention K-Mart Shoppers…'"

"Where did you hear about that?" Shipwreck yelped. 

"Uh I think I'll go ahead to the dojo now…" Todd wandered away leaving the two to argue. He walked across the compound. He saw Xi when he got there. Both looked at each other in uncomfortable silence. "Um…Hey." 

"Hello," Xi said softly. "I apologize for yesterday. It will never happen again."

"Oh uh yeah…that," Todd gulped. "Look Xi…I like you as a guy. Okay technically you're not a guy but…but…" 

"I only wanted to show…" Xi stopped. "Affection. I realize now that my actions were inappropriate. It was an impulse." 

"Well I certainly know about impulses," Althea sighed as she walked in. 

"I will not bother you any more," Xi turned to walk away. 

"Xi wait!" Althea spoke up. "I…um…I'm sorry I slugged you." 

"You were in the right," Xi said.

"Yeah well…I overreacted," Althea sighed.

"Look why didn't you tell us you were…what you are?" Todd asked.

"Hawk and Lifeline thought it would be better if I did not mention it for some reason," Xi said. "They said few people had experience with life forms that did not have a gender." 

"Let me get this straight," Althea said. "You don't have any boy or girl…parts? None at all?" 

"I am neither male nor female," Xi told them. "I am neuter."

"That sounds more like a thing you do to a dog." Todd looked at him. 

"It is what I am," Xi shrugged. 

"So Cobra created you like that?" Althea asked.

"I was created in a lab after all," Xi told them. "They decided to exclude gender from my kind so that we would not have any distractions or have any…complications." 

"Man those guys really are sick," Todd grumbled. "So what do we call you? I mean 'he' or 'she'? Or is there another thing we say?" 

" 'It' I suppose," Xi shrugged.

"That don't sound right to me," Todd said.

"Me neither," Althea said. "Which do you prefer, he or she?"

"I suppose to make things easier 'he' is just as good as any," Xi sighed. 

"Look why don't we all just start from the beginning, friendship wise?" Althea asked. "We both like you Xi. And now that we know about…well we'll be a little more sensitive. Okay?" 

Xi was about to reply when a loud explosion rocked the base. "What was that?" Todd yelled. 

"THE BASE IS UNDER ATTACK!" Hawk shouted through the intercom. 

"Come on," Althea shouted. "We gotta get to safety!"

The base rocked with explosions, the smell of smoke was everywhere. They were about to run out the door of the dojo when several figures blocked their way. Several men in dark outfits and masks blocked their way. "Get them!" One of them shouted. 

"Who the heck are these guys?" Todd yelped.

"I don't wanna stick around to find out!" Althea yelled. She leapt and kicked one of them to the ground. 

The next thing Todd knew he and the others were fighting for their lives. Xi turned invisible and took out several guards. Todd and Althea used their fighting moves to take out several more. Todd used his acid slime as well as his regular slime to disable many of them. But still more came. "Where the heck are these guys coming from?"

Suddenly Stormshadow appeared. "They are Cobra soldiers!" 

That was when Xi shoved Stormshadow aside. "Xi what are you doing?" Todd asked. Xi grabbed him and shouted, "Althea run! Get away from Stormshadow!" 

"Why?" She shouted. "Xi where are you taking Todd? Xi!" She shouted as they ran away from the dojo.

"Hey we can't leave Althea!" Todd broke away and started to go back for her. Xi swiftly hit Todd in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. He carried him over his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Althea shouted as she tackled another intruder. "Why did Xi do that Stormshadow? Stormshadow?" The next thing she knew her world was enveloped in darkness. 

************************************************************************

Todd awoke to the sounds of shouts and explosions. It took him a full minute to realize that he was being carried away. "Huh? Xi put me down! Put me down already!" 

Xi did so. "Xi what the heck is going on?" Todd shouted. 

"Come on," Xi pulled Todd along. "This way!" 

"Where are we going?" Todd asked. Then he saw Masaru. "Master Masaru what's going on?" 

"I think Althea has been captured!" Xi said. "We have to get her!"

"What?" Todd shouted. "Why didn't you let me go get her?"

"Don't worry Todd," Masaru said as he gently put his hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine. You're both safe now."

"What?" Todd gasped as he felt something sharp in his shoulder. Then the entire world went black. He fell into Masaru's arms. Masaru placed him on the couch. 

"I don't understand," Xi looked at Todd's unconscious form. "What are you doing?" 

"Protecting him," Masaru told Xi. "You and I have to go now."

"Wait, something's wrong here…" Xi said backing away.

"I'll say."

They both saw Stormshadow standing at the door. "What's going on Xi?" Stormshadow asked.

"Stormshadow, hurry! This thing just attacked Todd!" Masaru snapped. "He's the traitor!"

"What?" Xi spun on him. Before he could react a ninja appeared out of nowhere and knocked him unconscious. To Stormshadow's surprise three other ninjas appeared. 

"Master what are you doing?" Stormshadow asked. "I recognize those ninjas! They are outcasts from our clan! They left to go fight Cobra and their leader is…." He trailed off. His eyes narrowed. Without warning he unsheathed his sword and charged. He dodged the other ninjas and sliced at Masaru.

Masaru easily dodged and leapt away. "Missed!" He hissed.

"Did I?" Stormshadow asked in a cold tone. He pointed with his sword. Masaru's sleeve was torn on his left arm. An old burn mark was on it in the shape of a star. 

Stormshadow glared at Masaru. "I recognize that wound Masaru. Or should I say Darkshadow?" 


	37. Taken

**Taken**

"Why?" Stormshadow glared at Masaru, a.k.a. Darkshadow, the Cobra ninja. "Why?" 

"Why do you think?" Darkshadow laughed. "The Hard Master should have accepted Cobra's offer. We would have been more powerful and gained more members through alliances with other clans. Instead he and that weak brother decided to fill the ranks with those gajins you brought in! What better way to dispose of him than to use his own plan against him?"

"You knew…" Stormshadow looked at him. "You knew all along about the Cobra plot…that I was innocent…"

"How do you think that fool Zartan escaped?" Darkshadow leered. "He would have been cut down if it wasn't for my help."

"And in the chaos you created you used the opportunity to destroy the rest of your rivals within the clan and seize power," Stormshadow finished. "While secretly helping Cobra." 

"They were useful to me," Darkshadow sneered. "But soon their usefulness will be outlived. Pity the same can't be said for you!" 

Darkshadow leapt at him with his sword drawn. Soon the two were engaged in a heated battle. The sound of metal upon metal rang throughout the building. "Fool!" Darkshadow hissed. "This battle is pointless! You've already lost!"

Stormshadow saw that the others ninjas were taking off with Todd. With a snarl he started after them. Darkshadow blocked his way by grabbing the unconscious Xi by the neck and holding his sword to Xi's throat. "You know I would do it without hesitation," Darkshadow sneered. "Yet this…thing's life and your misplaced sense of honor are the only thing that would guarantee my safe passage."

"I think not," Xi's eyes opened rapidly. Somehow he managed to slip from Darkshadow's grasp and gave him a swift kick. "You used me!"

"You are nothing but a tool for Cobra," Darkshadow spat. "Of course I used you!"

"Xi get Toad!" Stormshadow attacked Darkshadow. "I'll take care of this dog!" Xi ran as they fought. 

Meanwhile, not that far away on another part of the base, Althea was just regaining consciousness. "Easy there," Shipwreck steadied her. "You took quite a hit." 

Althea groggily sat up and looked into her father's worried eyes. "What happened?" 

"One of those blasted creeps knocked you out," Shipwreck explained. "Luckily Stormshadow saved your butt." 

"Where's Todd?" She looked around. 

"I don't know," Shipwreck answered her. "Stormshadow went to go find him." 

"Hey what's going on out there?" Someone shouted. They ran outside and saw Stormshadow and Masaru fighting madly. 

"Is he nuts?" Althea said. 

"Only one way to find out," Gabriel told her. He did several flips and knocked Stormshadow away from Masaru. "Stormshadow! Why are you attacking the New Master?"

"MASARU IS DARKSHADOW!" Stormshadow shouted at the top of his lungs. "HIS MEN HAVE TODD!" 

"He's lying," Masaru said. "Stormshadow has betrayed us! The enemy has taken Toad because of him! He's still working for Cobra! Blind Master help me!"

"Yes I will," Gabriel said, throwing several ninja stars at Masaru. "You cannot hide the lies in your voice from a blind ninja master Masaru!" 

Masaru dodged them and grabbed something from his jacket. He threw it at them and it produced a huge cloud of smoke that covered the entire area. When the smoke cleared he was gone. 

"He got away!" Roadblock snarled. "If he's hurt Toad he's gonna pay!" 

"Where's the Blind Master?" Stormshadow asked.

"Forget him where's Althea?" Shipwreck yelped. Suddenly a huge shadow hung over the base. A huge hover transport flew over the base. It was gray with Cobra insignia and it looked about the same size as a football stadium. "Sufferin' Sea Serpents how did that thing sneak past our radar?" 

"I suspect Cobra has a new cloaking device," Beach Head said. 

"Stormshadow," Xi ran up to them. "They got away! I can't find Toad!" 

"I think I know where he is," Stormshadow said simply. They saw a Masaru's figure slip wave triumphantly from one of the windows. 

There was nothing they could do but watch it fly away. They saw one small chopper come close to it, but it was shot down. But not before the two figures inside got out by using a grappling hook to hit the side of the transport. They hung onto the side of the vehicle for dear life. 

"Give me those binoculars!" Shipwreck grabbed them from Beach Head. "It's Althea and Gabriel!" 

"They must have used the 'Ear That Sees' technique to follow Masaru through the smokescreen," Stormshadow said. 

To Shipwreck's horror, he saw Althea and Gabriel hanging on to the transport then slip inside and open passageway. 

"ALTHEA NO!" Shipwreck screamed as the transport flew away. 

"TODD!" Roadblock shouted as the transport zoomed out of sight. 


	38. Darkness and Double Crosses

**Darkness and Double Crosses**

"I can't believe we made it!" Althea gasped as they managed to elude the guards inside the hovercraft. 

"I can't believe you know how to fly a helicopter," Gabriel said. 

"I took lessons from Bree."

"That explains it," Gabriel groaned. They were hiding in a storage compartment. 

"Look we have to find Todd and get him out of here!" Althea said.

"Agreed," Gabriel told her. "But first we have to make sure the other Joes can find us. Fortunately I have this," He pulled out a small black object. "It's a tracking device that sends out a signal that only gets put out on the Joe's frequency. However, we have to set it up in the radio room first."

"Well that's going to be fun," Althea said. 

"Normally I would tell you to stay here," Gabriel sighed. "But even I need a pair of eyes to help me install it."

"No problem, we just grab a couple guards, take their uniforms, sneak in and install the device and we are out of there," Althea said simply. "Then we can get Todd." 

"Not just Todd. Darkshadow has to be taken out once and for all," Gabriel said. 

"I thought you always said revenge was petty?"

"This isn't about revenge. Darkshadow knows too many secrets about the Joes as well as causing havoc and dishonor to our clan," Gabriel told her. "If we don't get him now, he will hunt you, Todd, your family, Stormshadow, Jinx, myself and anyone else that's a threat to him. Understand?" 

Althea nodded. She thought to herself: _Hang on Todd! We're coming to get you! _

************************************************************************

"DARKSHADOW!" Cobra Commander screamed in his office at the monitor. "DARKSHADOW COME IN! That miserable no good ninja! DARKSHADOW!" 

Darkshadow's face appeared on the monitor. "You wanted something Commander?" 

"Yes I'd like to know why you invaded the Pit before my troops were ready to assist you," Cobra Commander said. "I mean I am the ruler of Cobra and I'd like to keep up on things like when and where my armies are attacking or not! Especially if they take one of my newest weapons!" 

"You mean the Lattachris Hovercraft?" Darkshadow asked. 

"No I was referring to Santa's sleigh, OF COURSE I MEANT THE LATTACHRIS!" Cobra Commander screamed. "I mean you just can't swipe something the size of Rhode Island away from the base and no one would notice!" 

"The timing for the attack was imperative," Darkshadow explained. "In order to keep the Joes off guard. We created heavy damage to the base while obtaining our objective."

"Darkshadow, don't misunderstand me," Cobra Commander softened his tone slightly. "I am pleased you accomplished your mission and left the Pit in ruins. And while I am a believer in doing things in a big way, what I don't understand is why did you need such awesome firepower to simply snatch A SINGLE MUTANT?" 

"You needed to test the Lattachris's firepower anyway," Darkshadow. "I would say the test was successful. Anything else?" 

"Yes well there is one other thing," Cobra Commander said. "You remember those ninjas you sent to help my operatives in Bayville capture those mutants? They're not following orders. In fact, they turned on their own allies! Can you explain this?" 

"Oh yes," Darkshadow said casually. "I've decided to take those mutants too."

"WHAT?" Cobra Commander screamed. 

"Well they really are to valuable for a bumbling fool like yourself," Darkshadow said. "Besides, I can control them much better."

"And how do you suppose to do that?" Cobra Commander sneered. "By giving them video games?"

"No by using this," Darkshadow clapped his hands. Todd appeared on the monitor. His eyes were glassy and he was wearing a gold metal headband on his head. "I know its last year's fashion accessory for slaves but classics never go out of style." 

"I recognize that!" Cobra Commander sputtered. "That was how we used to control the slaves we captured years ago on our old bases!" 

"Yes," Darkshadow smiled. "I must thank you for the use of these control headbands. You really shouldn't leave them lying around where anyone can get them you know." 

"You…" Cobra Commander sputtered.

"If you are going to tell me I am not going to get away with this and how I am going to suffer save your breath," Darkshadow snarled. "I've heard it before. Too many times to count. I have been waiting nearly sixteen years to tell you off and I must tell you, it's been worth the wait. Cobra Commander you are without a doubt the biggest moron I have ever met. I have seen kindergartners with more military sense than you have. The fact that you are still alive, let alone the leader of an army amazes me beyond belief." 

"Why you ingrate!" Cobra Commander fumed. "If it wasn't for me you'd still be the low man in your clan's totem pole!"

"It was Zartan who helped me, not you," Darkshadow pointed out. "I believe I will keep the Lattachris as well." 

"When I find you," Cobra Commander hissed. "There will not be enough of you or your clan left to feed a single worm!" 

"Oh yes that reminds me," Darkshadow pulled out a medium sized metallic object. "Must destroy this annoying homing device. Toad, be a good boy and destroy this for me will you?"

Todd used his tongue to grab it from Darkshadow's hand and smashed it with his fists. 

"Do you really think that a little thing like destroying a homing device is going to stop me from finding you?" Cobra Commander hissed. 

"That and the bomb I put under your desk," Darkshadow smirked. "Sayonara Stupid." He signed off. 

"WHAT?" Cobra Commander looked under his desk and saw the time on the bomb nearing zero pretty fast. He barely had time to escape the room before it exploded. Still it singed his clothes and was thrown right on his behind. 

"Commander!" Destro ran up to him. "What happened?" 

"Note to self," Cobra Commander grumbled. "Never hire any ninjas again!" 


	39. The Rescue Party

**The Rescue Party**

"It's all my fault!" Xi snarled as 'his' fist slammed into the wall making a good-sized hole. "Toad has been captured because I listened to him!" 

"No it isn't," Stormshadow sighed. "I'm the one to blame. I told Masaru about Todd. I am the one who allowed him access to the base and to you children. How could I have been so blind!" 

"Darkshadow fooled all of us," Hawk said. "There will be plenty of time for blame later. Right now we need to get Toad back." 

"Right," Roadblock holstered his Gatling gun. "Darkshadow picked the wrong guy's kid to steal! When I find him the terror's gonna be real!" 

"Count me in too!" Shipwreck snapped. "My kid's up there too! Bree I need you to watch the triplets and the baby if you can."

"No problem," Bree nodded.

"I'd better go too," Lifeline said. "I have a feeling I'm going to be needed."

"Xi and I shall go as well," Stormshadow said. "Both of us know the risks all too well."

"I know better not to argue with you," Hawk said. "Beach Head put together a team as well. We're all going snake hunting!" 

************************************************************************

"So far so good," Althea sighed. They had managed to make it to the radio room with no opposition. It was lightly guarded and Althea and Gabriel had no trouble overpowering the guards. While Gabriel instructed her on what to do, Althea attached the device. Now they were trying to find Todd.

"Too good," Gabriel told her. "Darkshadow must want the Joes to come. It wouldn't surprise me if he's planning an ambush." 

"Very perceptive Blind Master."

A voice came out of the speaker above. The next thing they knew a trap door opened beneath them and they ended up in a room that looked like a training room. Darkshadow stood there with a small figure covered in black from head to toe. 

"Face me if you dare traitor!" Gabriel hissed. 

Darkshadow smiled. "I have a better idea. Destroy him!" 

The dark figure attacked the Blind Master. At first it seemed like Gabriel had an upper hand in the battle, but slowly he was being worn down as they fought. _Gabriel's holding back! _Althea thought as she watched them. _Why is he…oh no! Only one way to be sure! _Without warning she flipped herself into the fight, distracting the figure long enough for her to rip off the mask. 

"TODD!" Althea screamed.


	40. Return to Me

**Return To Me**

"Todd!" Althea looked in horror at the control headband on Todd's head. When she reached to remove it, he backhanded her away, knocking her to the ground. 

Gabriel attacked again, but Todd easily blocked his attacks. Althea shook her head, still woozy from the hit as she got up. She watched in horror as Todd gave a kick to Gabriel that broke his leg. The sound of bone snapping nearly made her sick. Gabriel screamed in agony. 

"Toad forget him!" Darkshadow drew his sword. "Get the girl. I'll take care of the Blind Master." 

She watched in horror as they advanced on them. "Todd listen to me!" Althea said. "I know you can still hear me! Fight it! Do you really want to hurt me?" 

"Plead all you like girl," Darkshadow laughed. "He cannot hear you. The only voice he can hear is mine as long as he wears that headband." 

_I can't let Darkshadow win! I have to do something! _Althea looked around wildly for something to help her. She noticed in the corner a mop and a bucket filled with water. "Todd I'm sorry to have to do this to you," She said. "But it's for your own good!" 

She did several backflips and grabbed the mop and bucket. She tossed the mop towards Gabriel. "Blind Master! Catch!" 

Gabriel managed to catch it and used it as a weapon. Darkshadow sliced it in half but Gabriel rolled away before Darkshadow could cut him. He did manage to throw both pieces of wood, which hit Darkshadow in the eyes.

"AAGGGH!" Darkshadow screamed. One eye was merely bruised but the other one was severely damaged.

"An eye for an eye," Gabriel said. 

Meanwhile Althea used her powers on the water in the bucket to deal with Todd. The water flew out of the bucket as if by magic and floated around Todd's head. "I'm sorry," Althea said as she closed the water around his head. She held the water around his face, cutting off his oxygen supply. He sank to his knees. Sparks flew from the headband. Althea reached into the water and yanked it off Todd's head, throwing the headband away before it exploded. She then released the water from Todd's head. He crumpled to the floor gasping for breath. 

"A-Althea," Todd gasped. "What…?" 

"It's okay now," Althea held him. "It's over."

"Not quite!" Darkshadow snarled charging towards them, somewhat recovered from Gabriel's attack. Todd leapt up, pushed Althea out of the way and kicked Darkshadow in the stomach, knocking him down to the floor. 

Todd glared at him with murder in his eyes. "You made me hurt Althea and the Blind Master," Todd snarled advancing on him. "Let's see how much I can hurt you!" 

That was when an explosion sounded through the entire ship and rocked it. "What the hell?" Darkshadow snarled as beams started to fall around them.

"Toad! Forget him!" Althea shouted, helping up Gabriel. "We have to get out of here!" 

"NO!" Todd shouted. "This ends now!" He advanced on Darkshadow. Another explosion rocked the ship. 

  
"Toad forget him! He's not important!" Althea ordered. "The Blind Master is!"

Todd glared at Darkshadow. "Never come near me or my friends again," He snapped as he went to help Althea. "Let's get out of here!" They helped up the injured Blind Master. They ran out the door. 

Darkshadow cursed as he got up. He hit an intercom switch. "Report!" 

"Cobra jets are attacking us!" A voice said. "Our main engines have been hit!"

"Keep firing on them!" Darkshadow snarled. "No man deserts his post do you understand?" 

"Yes sir," The voice said. Then another explosion was heard. Screams came out over the intercom. The hovership rocked. 

Darkshadow cursed his luck. "Fine," He snarled. "I'll just have to capture Toad again myself!" 

************************************************************************

"Another direct hit Cobra Commander," One of his lackeys spoke. "It's already beginning a descent into the mountain region. "Shall we continue firing?" 

"It's a good thing I sent two spy bugs on that hovership," Cobra Commander snapped. "Destroy the Lattachris if you have to, but make sure that Darkshadow does not get away! No one steals from Cobra without paying the ultimate price!" 

************************************************************************

Meanwhile the Joes were tracking down the Lattachris in their own chopper. "It's lucky that they somehow put out a signal so we can track them," Hawk said.

"If my daughter is anything, she's resourceful," Shipwreck said. 

"Holy Hannaberries!" Dial Tone spoke up. "I just got several signals. About seventeen Cobra Jets are attacking the hovership! And they're doing a very good job of disabling it!" 

"Cobra's attacking their own aircraft?" Hawk said. "Something tells me we weren't the only ones Darkshadow double crossed." 

"I think it's making a crash landing in the mountains!" Dial Tone said. "I'll have the coordinates in a minute!" 

"Okay I want some answers here!" Shipwreck snapped. "Why did those creeps go to all this trouble just to kidnap Toad?"

"Maybe we should tell him," Roadblock sighed. 

"Why not everyone else seems to know about it?" Stormshadow sighed.

"Know about what?" Shipwreck snapped. "Will somebody please tell me why everybody wants Toad?"

"It's not Toad exactly they want," Stormshadow explained. "It's what's inside of him they want." 


	41. So What Happened?

**So What Happened? **

"It all started a few months back," Roadblock sighed. "The day Toad and Althea met actually…" 

Flashback: 

Roadblock had been talking to Stormshadow discussing training for Todd when suddenly Stormshadow was alerted by something. "No!" He gasped.

"What is it?" Roadblock followed him to the back of the dojo just in time to see Todd covered in light. He collapsed to the ground. Roadblock tried to shake the unconscious boy awake. "Todd! Todd wake up!" 

Stormshadow picked up and empty box. "It's too late," He said. "I'm sorry Roadblock! I never dreamed this would happen!"

"What would happen?" Roadblock snapped.

"I'll tell you after we get him to the infirmary," Stormshadow said.

Soon Lifeline was checking him over. "He seems fine," He told them. "No injuries or anything."

"Stormshadow what happened to him?" Roadblock snapped. "What was that weird light?"

"It wasn't exactly a light," Stormshadow told him. "It was the Destiny Stone, a treasure that has been hidden in my clan for generations. It is supposed to not only enhance a warrior's potential but give him great powers."

"What kind of powers?" Roadblock asked.

"No one's exactly sure," Stormshadow said. "It hasn't been used for over 250 years." 

"I've heard of mystical stones that give off a unique radiation that can amplify powers or alter DNA," Lifeline said. "Like the Gems of Cytorak or the Apocalyptic Diamond. But I always thought they were only legends."

"They are real I assure you," Stormshadow told him. "Only difference is, the Destiny Stone is actually alive." 

"WHAT?" Roadblock gasped. 

"Long ago," Stormshadow told them. "An evil samurai tried to use the stone for his own power. A lone ronin defeated him and saved the emperor's life. However, in doing so the ronin not only gave up his own life, but willingly placed his life-force within the stone, in order to insure that only a chosen few could ever use the stone again. It judges a warrior's potential for battle. However some that were chosen could not contain the power of the stone and created great destruction." 

"So what kind of damage are we talking about here?" Roadblock asked.

"Have you heard of Mt. Vesuvius?" Stormshadow asked. "Let's just say the volcano had a lot of help from a particularly unstable Roman soldier and leave it at that."

"Are you telling me that that kid could start causing volcanoes?" Roadblock gasped.

"Not necessarily," Stormshadow said. "According to legend the types of powers vary from person to person. No two warriors that have possessed the stone has had exactly the same powers or transformations."

"Transformations?" Lifeline blinked. 

"Maybe we can reverse the effects! Where is the stone now?" Roadblock said, dreading the answer. Stormshadow pointed to Todd. "Oh great! Isn't there any way of getting it out of him?"

"Not without killing the boy," Stormshadow shook his head.

"But why him?" Roadblock asked. "Out of all the people it could choose why Toad? Why not you? Or Althea? Heck even Beach Head wouldn't be so bad!" 

"It probably responded to Toad's DNA," Lifeline said. "Maybe there's something in him it liked. Who knows?" 

"So if it can amplify the power of a normal man just think of what it can do with Toad," Stormshadow said. 

"I don't want to think about it," Roadblock groaned.

"That's why I think it's best that we don't tell the boy for now," Stormshadow said. "Many a warrior with years of training has not been able to handle the power of the stone. Just think of the havoc an untrained mutant boy could bring." 

"What if this thing starts to react in the kid?" Roadblock asked.

"Unless the boy is under extreme duress it will not activate," Stormshadow told him.

"How do you know that?" Roadblock asked. 

"According to the legends, only warriors that have completed intense training on their twenty-first birthday can freely tap into the stone," Stormshadow told him. "And even then it's not a guarantee. Only once was a young warrior able to do it on the battlefield. But even then the after effects were catastrophic." 

"If this thing is so dangerous why hasn't it been destroyed?" Lifeline asked.

"Because it has the potential for great good as well as evil," Stormshadow told him. "Many a warrior has used it to save millions of lives from natural disasters to evil gods. It is the last line of defense for good."

"From the sound of it," Lifeline said. "It can also be the first line of attack for evil."

Back in the present:

"Let me get this straight," Shipwreck said. "There's this living rock inside Toad? And it can give him the ability to evolve into something very powerful but you don't know what? And if something goes wrong he could wreak havoc on the whole world? Is it me or does this whole thing sound like it comes out of a Japanese cartoon?"

"I know it sounds…" Stormshadow said. "Hard to believe." 

"Well considering our track record not that hard to believe," Hawk said. "I mean we've run across mutants, ghosts, dinosaurs, spaceships, parallel universes, machines that control the weather, Atlantis, primitive ape creatures, gone back in time to ancient Greece, met Egyptian Gods…"

"Remember that giant blob thing that nearly destroyed several cities?" Lifeline said. "The only way we could destroy it was have it eat all the poison found in apple seeds. It ate nearly two entire state's worth of orchards before it was destroyed." 

"Yeah and remember when Iceberg got mutated into a killer whale?" Beach Head said. 

"When I was still in Cobra I found Excalibur," Stormshadow said. "King Arthur's sword." 

"Don't forget Cobra-La," Roadblock grumbled. "And those weirdoes there." 

"Not to mention the killer plants and giant vegetables," Shipwreck grumbled. "I'll say one thing. G.I. Joe may be a lot of things, but dull isn't one of them. Okay so maybe a living rock isn't that unbelievable, considering." 

"Now we know why Darkshadow wanted Toad," Hawk said. 

"He would use Toad for his own ambitions," Stormshadow said. "Or if he can't use Toad…"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Roadblock snapped. "That ain't gonna happen." 

"So this kid could get extra powers right? You mean that acid trick he picked up is the rock's doing?" Shipwreck asked.

"No that is his own mutation," Stormshadow told him.

"How do you know?" Shipwreck asked. "What the rock'll turn him into a monster or something?" The look he got told him. "Oh…" 

**Yup that stuff did happen in the Joe cartoons. And you thought the X-Men had some strange adventures! Hey you knew I was weird when you started this fic! **


	42. What Was Sundered and Undone...

**What Was Sundered and Undone…**

"How are you doing?" Althea asked.

"My head feels like somebody was playing soccer with it for five hours, but otherwise I'm okay," Todd told her. "The Blind Master?" 

"He's asleep," Althea sighed. "He's lucky to still be alive." They looked over at the fallen ninja asleep by the fire. They had managed to make their way to an escape pod and crash into the mountains. Although Todd and Althea remained mostly unharmed, Gabriel's injuries had gotten even worse. They had found a secluded area by a river and were now resting from their ordeal. 

"It's all my fault," Todd sighed. 

"It's not your fault," Althea told him. "Masaru…Darkshadow was controlling you!" 

Todd gingerly put his hand to Althea's face. There was a small bruise from where he had hit her. "I never wanted to hurt you…I couldn't stop! I…"

"Shhh," She put a finger to his lips. "I know. The important thing now is to get Gabriel some medical attention and to get back to the Pit. Hopefully the Joes will find us soon. We didn't land too far away from the crash site. I just hope Cobra doesn't decide to send any troops down to look for survivors." 

"We'll be okay," Todd held her head and stoked her hair. "They'll come and get us and everything will be fine." 

"I think not." 

They turned towards the voice. Darkshadow stood behind them battered and torn. His left eye was covered in a makeshift eyepatch. "I've lost half my men because of you," Darkshadow hissed. "Not to mention I incurred the wrath of Cobra. But I'm not going to leave until I get what I want."

"Try it!" Todd snarled. "I'm never going to let you control me again!" 

"Unfortunately for you Toad I am starting to believe you," Darkshadow hissed. "Which is why I've decided more extreme measures must be taken." He took out a small worn parchment. 

"What are you going to do?" Todd snapped. "Hit me on the head with that old newspaper?" 

"I acquired this from an old shugenja, that's a Japanese version of a sorcerer," Darkshadow sneered. "With this I can simply remove the Destiny Stone from your underdeveloped body!"

"The what?" Todd blinked. 

"What the heck are you talking about?" Althea snapped. "Darkshadow I think you've watched one too many episodes of 'Sailor Moon'!" 

"That's it!" Todd leapt to attack, but a few words from Darkshadow froze Todd into place. "I…I can't move!" To his shock a strange glow began to emerge from his chest. 

"What are you doing?" Althea screamed. 

"Taking what is rightfully mine!" Darkshadow screamed. "The Destiny Stone belongs to warriors! Not weaklings!" 

The light in Todd's chest formed the shape of a small crystal and floated out of him. Suddenly Todd grew very pale and fell to the ground. He started to shake and gasp for breath.

"I don't know what you did you sick monster!" Althea snarled charging at him. "But you're going to pay!" 

"Not quite!" He threw a throwing star at her, she dodged it. She used her powers to trap Darkshadow in water, enveloping him. Somehow Darkshadow managed to throw several throwing stars, even though he was choking under water. One of them hit Althea in the shoulder and another in the stomach. 

"Althea!" Todd screamed as she fell to the ground. 


	43. Shall Be Whole, the Two Made One

**Shall Be Whole: The Two Made One**

As Althea collapsed on the ground her control over the water faded. The water drenched Darkshadow as it fell into a puddle. Darkshadow gasped for air. He clutched the stone. "YESSS!" He shouted in triumph.

Which was brief. A second later an arrow pierced his heart. He looked down in surprise and saw Xi standing before him with a bow. He said not a word as he fell to his knees and died. 

"Thank god we found you!" Stormshadow burst into view. Stormshadow grabbed the stone and placed it in Todd's hand. Instantly Todd felt better. "Just accept the stone into your body and you will be all right."

"Forget me!" Todd said looking over. "What about Althea?"

Xi held Althea's head in his lap. "I don't think Lifeline will get here in time," Xi said softly. 

"NOO!" Todd went to her side, still holding the stone. "Can't this stone thing heal her too?"

"I don't think so," Stormshadow said softly. "If she takes it, you will die."

"Then I want her to live!" Todd snapped.

"I don't," Althea said softly. "Not if I caused you to…" She slipped into unconsciousness. 

"NOOOOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!" Todd screamed as he broke the stone in half with his hands. 

The entire clearing was bathed in light as it broke. Todd placed one half of the stone on Althea's chest as the other half melted into his own. He kissed her forehead. "Don't leave me," He whispered. 

The second half of the stone melted into Althea's body. The light grew brighter, so bright it hurt Todd's eyes even when closed. He felt like he was falling. _Althea!_ His mind screamed. 

_Stop whining, I'm right here…_

_Althea! How…?_

Don't know. Doesn't matter. You really didn't think you were going to be rid of me that easily did you? Face it, you're stuck with me.

Forever?

Forever.

_Promise?_

Promise.

_I promise…_Was the last thought they had before slipping deeper into unconsciousness. 

Meanwhile back in the real world the light had disappeared just before the other Joes reached them. "What the heck happened?" Lifeline looked at them. 

"What was that light show all about?" Shipwreck asked. "Althea!" He saw them collapsed on the ground in each other's arms.

"Todd!" Roadblock shouted. Both parents nearly shoved each other out of the way to get to their children. "What happened?" 

"Althea has one half of the Destiny Stone now," Xi said. "Toad broke it in order to save her life." 

"Her life...?" Shipwreck paled. "Darkshadow!"

"Will cause no more damage," Xi said simply. They saw his body crumpled on the ground. 

"Bastard's just lucky you got to him before we did," Roadblock snarled. "Will they be all right?" 

Lifeline looked them over. "From what I can tell. They just need to rest." 

"Well," Hawk said. "The important thing is that the kids are safe. And with the stone broken in two pieces it's a sure bet that the Destiny Stone's power won't cause too much trouble in the future." 

"Actually I think Toad just made the stone even stronger," Stormshadow said. 

"How could he do that? You said he broke it in half?" Shipwreck asked. 

"The Destiny Stone has the ability to heal itself, power wise anyway," Stormshadow explained. "Which means that the two halves will become equally strong in time. Plus since both halves are connected, it means that Toad and Althea are connected. Think about it, two wills controlling two equally strong mystical stones. And both of them are mutants."

"Okay if you're saying what I think you're gonna say," Shipwreck gulped. "I think I can guess. Instead of one ultimate mutant warrior, we're stuck with two." 

"Oh well that's just great!" Hawk kicked a nearby rock. "Just perfect." 

"They can't remember any of this," Stormshadow said. "They're not ready to handle it." 

"They can't handle this?" Hawk groaned. "What about me? I'm just supposed to be the commanding officer of an anti-terrorist unit. I'm starting to feel like the head of the X-Files! I mean I already have the spaceship on the base and the mutant kids but now mystic rocks and ultimate warriors? I need a vacation." 

"Lifeline," Roadblock said. "We need to ask a favor."

"If it is what I think it is I don't wanna do it," Lifeline said.

"Lifeline we know that when you heal a person you have the power to enter into their minds," Stormshadow said. **(*)** "You can cloud their memories just enough for them to forget this."

"I don't like doing that," Lifeline grumbled. 

"We know you don't," Hawk said. "But in this case I think it's best you do. We're not asking you to erase their memories, just cloud them up a bit. We are going to tell them when they get old enough to handle this power…whatever it is."

"Please Lifeline," Stormshadow asked. "Just this once. For their sake."

"All right," Lifeline reluctantly agreed. His hands began to faintly glow as he touched their foreheads, putting his energies to work.

****

(*) As seen in a GI Joe Fic: True Confessions of a Medic. (Shameless promotion)

By the way: Any Sergeant Snuffles fans might want to check out the Joe fics General Meeting, and General Hawk Calls a Meeting. (More shameless promotion.)


	44. This Is Not the End

**This Is Not the End**

As Todd stirred back into the land of the living, the first thing he noticed was a slight throbbing in his head. "Are you all right?" Xi's voice drifted into his ears. 

Todd sat up groggily. "What happened?" He asked. "Last thing I remember was Darkshadow attacking us and…ALTHEA!"

"Right beside you," Xi said, pointing to her sound asleep on the next bed. "She's fine." 

Todd sat up and made his way to her bed. He sat on the edge and gently stroked her cheek. She stirred slightly. "Hmmm," She groaned. "Come on let me sleep for five more minutes." She opened her eyes slightly. "Oh it's you." 

"Yeah it's me," Todd smiled. "You okay?"

"I will be as soon as that guy in my head stops playing the bongos," Althea groaned as she sat up. "What happened? The last thing I remember was Darkshadow attacking us. Something happened then we blacked out."

"I dunno," Todd sighed. "Xi what happened to Darkshadow?" 

"I did," Xi said. "He won't lie to anyone ever again."

"Good," Althea nodded. "Let me guess, the Joes found us just in time right?"

"You got it," Lifeline came in. "How are you two feeling?"

"Like we went sumo wrestling with Godzilla and we lost," Althea sighed. "Otherwise, peachy keen."

"Here," Lifeline placed his hand on their foreheads one at a time and used his abilities to soothe them. "Better?"

"Much," Althea nodded. "Thanks Lifeline, we really needed that."

"Xi before I forget Stormshadow wants you to get some things from the dojo before you leave," Lifeline said. "He said you'd know what they were."

"Leave?" Todd looked at Xi. 

"Where are you going?" Althea asked. 

"I'm going with Stormshadow to Japan for about six weeks," Xi told them. "He has to try and put the clan's affairs in order. He wants me to help."

"That's great Xi," Althea said. "We'll miss you a lot."

"Yeah," Todd said. "Hey who's gonna be teaching us martial arts stuff while Stormshadow's away?"

"The Blind Master will stay and do that," Xi told them. 

"Geeze I forgot all about him!" Todd slapped his head. 

"Well Darkshadow did keep you both occupied," Xi said. "He's fine." 

"I'm glad," Todd sighed with relief. "If anything happened to him…"

"Will you stop that!" Althea snapped. "I keep telling you it wasn't your fault! Will you listen to me already!"

"She's right," Xi said. "Even I know how powerful those control headbands are. It took us years to learn the secrets of overriding them. I'll teach you them when I return. I trust you two will stay out of Cobra's clutches until then?"

"Well I don't know about Todd here but I can manage," Althea smiled.

"Hey!" Todd glared. 

"I'll go tell your folks you're up." Lifeline said and left. 

"We're really gonna miss you Xi," Althea said. 

"Yeah you sure make life interesting around here," Todd said. 

"I could say the same for the two of you. Don't worry, I will be back soon," Xi got up and started to leave, then stopped and looked at them. "I didn't realize how much you two have meant to me until I thought I lost both of you." Xi admitted. 

"Hey we're like family yo," Todd said. 

Xi smiled lovingly. "Until we meet again," Xi said, gently kissing both Althea's and Todd's cheek. They looked at him with startled expressions as Xi left. 

"Uh, did Xi just do what I think 'he' did?" Althea asked. 

"Something tells me our relationship with Xi just got a lot weirder," Todd grumbled. 

"Not that our relationship was in any way normal to begin with," Althea said. 

"Yeah you are kinda weird," Todd smirked.

"WHAT?" Althea snapped and started whacking him with the pillow. "You take that back!"

"Hey Althea calm down!" Todd tried to shield himself from the blows. "I was just kiddin' yo!"

"Oh really? How about this for a laugh funny boy!" She whacked him with the pillow.

"Hey I don't have to take this abuse!" Todd grabbed a pillow of his own and started to fight back. "En guarde!" However it didn't take Todd long to realize that Althea was a master at pillow fighting. 

"Come back here you coward!" Althea shouted chasing him down the hall with the pillow raised above her head. Feathers were flying everywhere. They nearly knocked down Roadblock, Lifeline, Stormshadow and Shipwreck as they ran outside. 

"I guess they don't remember anything," Shipwreck noted as they casually followed them. 

Roadblock watched the two chasing each other. "I hope we did the right thing."

"They're not ready yet," Stormshadow told him. 

"They're not the only ones," Roadblock grumbled. "You know what this means Shipwreck? You and I are going to be stuck together training them." 

"Aw come on," Shipwreck smirked. "It won't be so bad. After all we're going to be in-laws someday."

"Don't say that," Roadblock groaned. "Please. You don't know that!"

"Of course it's going to happen," Shipwreck said. "The stone accepted Althea, and they have a connection now so naturally…"

"Naturally once again the universe conspires to drive Roadblock crazy," Stormshadow shook his head. 

"Just when I was starting to get used to the Toad," Roadblock sighed. "A whole lot of new craziness crashes my abode!" 

"Did I mention that I'm going to be in Japan for a while?" Stormshadow said.

"Thanks a lot," Roadblock groaned.

"Oh come on Roadblock," Lifeline said. "It won't be that bad. You two won't be alone on this. You have General Hawk, me, Bree…heck the entire GI Joe team will help you two raise those kids!"

They watched the two mutants running around. "Come back here and fight like a man!" Althea screamed as she tossed the pillow at Todd. It missed him and hit Beach Head right in the face.

"Can't catch me!" Todd blew a raspberry and hopped over several Joes' heads. They in turn were knocked down by an angry and oblivious Althea. 

"The entire GI Joe team you say?" Shipwreck blanched as the two mutant teenagers wreaked havoc all over the base, sending several Joes scurrying away for their lives. 

"That's not gonna be enough," Roadblock groaned. 

Even as Todd was being chased by Althea he couldn't help but laugh. He knew for the first time in a long while something wonderful had happened to him. 

Todd had come home. 

**THAT'S IT! THIS FIC IS FINALLY FINISHED! YAAAYYYYY! So what do you think? This was one of my hardest fics to do, so of course I shamelessly beg for reviews. Of course this isn't the end of the story, oh no. There's a lot more coming up in the future. **

**By the way in case you forgot: These characters were mine:**

Althea Delgato (Wavedancer)

Xi

Daria, Brittany, and Quinn Delgato

Claudius Delgato

General Whithalf

General Bragg

Masaru, (The New Master, Darkshadow) 

The Lattachris: (the name of the Cobra Hovercraft.) and Sgt. Snuffles

Everybody else isn't mine! They belong to Marvel. Please don't sue. 

**Coming sometime this year: Part two of the saga. A Fanfic starring the X-Men, the Brotherhood, GI Joe and Cobra:**

Parallel Lives

Okay I'm still working on the title so that gives you an idea of how far along in the story I am. If anyone has a better title I am willing to consider it. Needless to say it will have a lot of angst, humor, insanity, fluffiness, plots, backstabbing, romance, shameless screwing around with the X-Men and GI Joe universes, a ninja or two, a couple characters who I think should have shown up in the Evolution show by now, rivalries and reunions, oh and maybe a building or two destroyed. 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story! 

_Several characters come out:_ Kelly**: **_Now_ will you finish my story? 

Pietro: Forget it! She's got other things to work on! Like our stories.

Mystique: Yeah I know she's just dying to torture me some more! 

Lance: Forget that! More stories with Kitty and me! 

Hawk: How about more Joe stories like you promised?

Blackadder: What about me? What about me?

**Excuse me: I have some muses that are running amok to take care of.**

_The author grabs a huge mallet and chases after them. _


End file.
